Second Generation
by ApollodoraTheExplorer
Summary: The sequel to my fic 'First generation'. This is from cyborgs 005 to 009. It is done, after so long... This is weird, and slightly saddening... My beloved fic...
1. Chapter 1

**Note from the author:** Hello to all! Firstly I'm giving a huge apology for the lateness in this whole story. I _was_ writing it but I lost inspiration after two chapters and stopped for a while. Then, I finally obtained the complete 2001 series from so it took me ages to watch the whole thing. Now I'm finished it and writing is back in progress, I've edited what I'd already done and it should be ready soon. I'm now also aware that the prequel to this (first generation) isn't 'in accordance' with the TV series; I'm not changing that. But, anyway, while I un-kink the second generation, here's the prologue. Enjoy and thanks to the fans of First generation for being so patient!!

**Prologue**

**23rd December 1984**

**Extract from the diary of Dr Isaac Gilmore, Black Ghost research scientist.**

Funny, another winter has passed with barely any progress made on our cybernetics project. Every winter for the past twenty odd years I've looked over the year's progress, realised how dismal our work has been and promised myself that I'll crack the answer to our problems by the time another year has passed. Despite the determination and almost desperation of my scientists and me we're still a long way away from our goals.

The goal is simple, to create strong, powerful cyborg soldiers who will never disobey us. Our first four test subjects failed each and every criterion completely. I personally am grateful for still being alive. Rumours fly around from department to department of the boss' short temper and lack of tolerance for failure. We all know that if we fail too many times then we will die. It's the only thing that makes us do the things we do.

But, I'd never admit this to anyone else; I truly want to succeed at this. This has been my greatest challenge and nothing would give me more pleasure than to see my work become successful. Dr Kuroda, god rest his soul, once said that you can tell a lot from a scientist from the work he does. It makes a strange kind of sense sometimes. When my life was hard I always dreamed of escaping it all, flying away, as it were. Maybe that's why things have felt so, so wrong for the past few months; it's this deep disappointment at the failure of my three subjects and Gamo's little prodigy. They should have worked; my months of calculating and planning should have made them perfect.

But, regardless of our wishes, the subjects were a failure. Subject 004 nearly blew his leg off when he tried to launch one of the mini fly-bombs we had installed. Of course that wasn't the only problem by far; all three of my projects were riddled with discrepancies and errors that nearly wrecked the project for good.

I'm standing in the cryogenics room, my failed attempts at playing god in front of me. Through the thin mist of my breath in front of me I see them, faintly illuminated by the blue light that escaped in from the corridor outside. It highlights their faces, making them look like carvings of white stone, ancient deities captured as statues. Behind their closed eyes I can almost see my entire work with Black Ghost in front of me. The word, failure, closes in around me. Failure, failure, you failed. The four of them keep saying the word to me without ever moving or speaking. I feel twenty years' worth of anger and frustration boiling up inside of me.

This couldn't be my fault, I tried so hard to make them perfect but they weren't. This is their fault; they are the failures, not me! _They_ were the ones who tried to resist, _they_ created the problem and _they _are the reason we're not getting anywhere! For what feels like hours I silently vent my frustration at my silent witnesses! In my anger I even follow ridiculous paths of logic and come to absurd conclusions.

_Why would you even **want **to fight this?! _I ask them. _You've been given god-like powers that men like me can only ever dream of. And, and you'll be forever young, time has had no effect on you. Look at me, twenty years on! Twenty damn years and you four haven't even lost any skin cells! You are the realisation of thousands of years' of mankind's dreams; you should be grateful!_

I collapse to my knees, energy absolutely spent. My four subjects remain as still as statues. A voice speaks behind me.

_Well I never Gilmore, _says Rita, my only female assistant. _And there was me thinking you were starting to wither in your old age. _

She walks over to my side and helps me to my feet. A moment passes where she merely sighs and glances up at the frozen subjects.

_Still fraternising with the ghosts of Christmas' past? _She says, a half smile on her face. _You know you can't change the past no matter how many hours you spend down here in the freezer. We'll find what were looking for. Just you wait, even if it's after your time. If you go the same way as dear Mr Kuroda did we'll bury you next to this lot and name one of them after you when we succeed._

I glare at her, she smiles, glad to have offended someone, making the day less of a waste in her books. She hands me a thick brown envelope and smiles again.

_I would tell you to forget this lot, _She says, jerking her thumb up at the test subjects. _But, the bosses want us to do some background research on this lot. I dunno why, before you ask; something to do with looking for any underlying physical problems that we might have missed. Anyway, here's a nice little 'Christmas card' to get you started. See you at dinner._

She walks out the door, leaving me with the envelope and my subjects. Inside the envelope are three pieces of paper and some photos. I scan the photos, two are high-school portrait shots for 002 and 003, one is a driver's licence for 004 and there are the photos that we took of each of them before we began operating. It sends an involuntary shiver down my spine.

I half-heartedly skim through the missing persons reports, picking up random facts. _Ballet student, truck driver, three arrests, older brother… _The only medical records in the envelope are a few sparse notes about an in-grown toenail on 003 from four years before we got to her. This is going to be a long, difficult and probably pointless task and I'd much rather be continuing my research. I throw the envelope down into the floor. If the four of them weren't taunting me before they are now.

As I pick up the envelope something catches my eye, a scrawled note on the back of one of the photos.

_'Hey, Sallie. Meet me behind the gyms after school?' _

Below it is another note, in different handwriting.

_"In your dreams Jet."_

I turn the photo over; it's a photo of 002 with a bunch of other boys his own age. Then, it hits me. I didn't know that 002 was called Jet. In fact, apart from 001 I haven't the faintest idea of what the names of the test subjects above me were. I pick up the reports again and scan them quickly. I mutter the names to myself like a secret language.

_Jet Anthony Link… Francoise Cécile Arnoul… Albert Freder Heinrich…_

Everything stops. All of a sudden the frozen machines in front of me are people. People with names, families, homes and lives… The world suddenly feels distorted and inverted. My palms begin to sweat, my mouth becomes dry and I begin to shake all over… Everything turns white… _What have I done...?_

_Doctor? Doctor! Wake up Dr Gilmore! _

The voices seem distant and artificial. But, they are connected to me. These people shared the evil deeds with me; our hands are covered in blood and I have to wash it away while I still can. I have to make things right, I just can't be the only one who thinks so… There must be others… Dr Ryan, Professor Nekasa, Dr Saito… Between us we'll set things right… I only hope we can be forgiven…


	2. Chapter 2

Note from the author: Hi all! New Chapter from Geronimo aka 005. I realise upon re-reading this that the start is a bit claustrophobic but, 005 seems the claustrophobic type to me. Also, there's a new structure to this fanfic. You get two chapters from each 2nd Gen cyborg and then a bridge chapter from one of the 1st gens. So, the structure goes: Dr Gilmore, 005, 005, 001, 006, 006, 002, 007, 007, 003, 008, 008, 004, 009, 009, epilogue (not telling who that's by :p). See ya next chapter!!

Chapter One - the second generation

Everything is black; the world is quiet. Have I died? Or is this a dream? It fells like I'm on an island in the middle of a still ocean with no other places for miles and miles.

But, there is no calm, only a building tension. In this blackness, something is lurking, waiting, watching me. This is bad. A voice, in my head; barely above a whisper. I can't even make it out. There it is again, louder; it's getting closer. I hear the words now; a message.

_**Open your eyes, wake up. Quickly, before they find you. Wake up. **_

In less than a second there is white light all around me, the dream is gone; I am in some sort of military bunker. I cannot see another person. But, the voice; I heard it so clearly. I close my eyes again, let my mind go blank;

_where are you? _

There is silence. I listen for the voice, nothing. The room around me is empty.

I feel so strange, half suffocated almost. Something gone, taken, and replaced while I slept. Was I asleep? I remember, those men, they were at my work… They followed me home, cornered me, then, blackness… Emptiness… Who were those men? Where did they take me?

The air here is tense, electrified. So much has happened in this room alone: emotion, pain, anxiety. I have to get out of here, quickly, before this place has an effect on me. I'm already feeling uneasy.

The room has one bed, a small window and a bolted steel door. There has to be someone on the other side. I call out, voice hoarse.

_Is anyone there?_

Silence. Only my own breathing echoes against the metal walls. It is becoming harder and harder to breathe in here. I have to get out of here. There is no life here, only the monotonous thump of a machine world. Cold, sterile and exact.

In an instant I'm up on my feet.

_Is there anyone there?! Let me out of here! _

The walls are closing in on me. The energy inside me is welling up. I punch at the door; it goes flying off its hinges, broken in half. For a moment I simply stand, overcome and completely silent. My hand is still curled into a tight fist.

That blow should have at least broken all of my fingers, not the door. I've heard stories of humans who have performed great feats of strength and speed under great pressure, but, I've been in worse situations than this and haven't done anything remotely close to that. My hand is moving fine, as if it were only paper I'd just smashed through. I hear a voice, an old man.

_Oh, you're awake then 005. Good to see there's no apparent mental trauma, unlike that other lot. Anyway, there are four others like you near here. Well, technically they're not **exactly **like you but they're pretty close. You have to fight the other four outside. You'll notice a few, changes, once you get going but don't worry too much. It'll help…_

He tosses a small backpack down at my feet and walks off. Before I have time to even think about what he's said a huge door opens in front of me. Outside there are plants and trees. I rush out the door, backpack over my shoulder. I reach a small glen surrounded by trees on all side.

But, the trees are not natural; they have been planted and fed with chemicals. They have no voices of their own. All I can hear is the same mechanical pulsing all around me, like an electric heart. The tops of the trees rustle from an unknown breeze, artificiality. I'm still indoors.

Inside the pack there isn't much in the way of explanation, just clothes, bright red, and a gun. I flinch and place the gun to the side in the hope of never using it. I dress, quickly, and dash once more into the undergrowth of this machinated forest.

It's so strange here; there are no animals, no insects, no wind and no water. Anyone could tell that this is fake just by looking. But, I know because I can't hear anything. It could be seen as an advantage, I should be able to hear whoever is meant to be attacking me.

I've been running for what feels like hours; this place is much bigger than I could have ever imagined. I stop for a brief moment to catch my breath and take note of my surroundings. Then, I hear it, so faintly, someone crying nearby. I close my eyes and let the sound come to me.

It's a girl, crying, to my left, no more than five minutes away. Within moments I'm running again, someone might be hurt or in the same situation as me.

The trees stop abruptly into a vast empty space; it looks like an old battlefield. There, right in front of me, is a girl. She is on the ground, blonde hair all over her face and eyes filled with tears. It looks like she fell over and landed wrong. As I approach she backs away, I get slightly closer.

Then, I stumble and fall, what was that? It couldn't have been human, it was so fast. A tripwire? No, it was moving. Within seconds I'm on my knees and I hear rushed footsteps. A cold metal presses at the back of my head.

_Don't move, _speaks a voice. _I'm in no mood for games… Drop your gun, now!_

Slowly, carefully, I take the gun out of the holster at my side and throw it away. Two more people walk over. One of them speaks.

_Chill out 004, _he says. _You're gonna blow a fuse or something…_

_Don't start, _says the one behind me. _You know how precarious our situation is! He's_ **_one of them! _**

_You don't know that! _Says another, the girl. _I can see it; he's a cyborg like us!_

_**003's right, he's like us, **_speaks another voice, the one from earlier. **_Calm down 004. We're safe for now…_**

The person behind me stands back. I must take a chance now. I spin around and strike the man behind m, intending to knock the gun out of his hand. He goes flying back several feet, landing rather badly on his right leg. But, he's fine; that landing should have broken his leg. The second one, the younger man, whips out a gun and yells at me to get down. The girl yells at the boy to calm down.

For a moment I can't think, what did I just do? I've always deplored violence and war but, here I am, fighting others. I stand back, shocked. The first man walks over, swearing. The girl walks over and extends a hand towards me.

_We don't want to fight any more than you do, _she tells me. _I'm 003, the man behind you is 004 and the other one is 002. This petit one is 001._

My gaze falls to the baby in her arms; it was the one with the voice. The girl smiles weakly and then looks suddenly to her left.

_What is it? _Says the boy 002.

_They're coming this way! _She says. _They know the fight is over._

Only moments later we are surrounded by white lights… The light is too bright…


	3. Chapter 3

**Note from the author: **due to a couple of problems with my internet these couple of chapters have been a bit iffy in terms of loading and whatnot. Regardless, here 005's second chapter. I realise that I've made the characters somewhat **dark **in comparison to the manga and tv series. This is just how I think they act in real life. (I still love the show btw). Also, at the bottom of the page there are translations of the foreign words since in my previous fic I just assumed that everyone spoke everything. My bad!! Se you all next Chapter!!

Chapter two - Cruel Fate

The room is quiet, no-one speaks. All five of us are deeply wrapped up in our own thoughts and the memory of last night. We were beaten back by them, forced back into this metallic hell at the point of guns. We fought back with all our might but they had anticipated our move before we even made it. 002 had limited fuel, 004's ammunition was in short supply and I didn't know the extent of my new strength. I suppose I was afraid, afraid of causing too much damage, or worse, hurting one of my new comrades. Now we are stuck here, unsure of what is coming and what our chances of survival are.

I am 005, the other four told me. A cyborg soldier and bi-product of a push for world domination that began way before the second world war by a group known only as Black Ghost. They are all bent on dominating the world through war by attacking countries and then blaming other countries, they then sell the weapons they used to attack with and gain a phenomenally large profit. We cyborgs are test subjects; stolen from the streets of our native lands and forcefully given these monstrous abilities; all in the name of progress towards their malicious goal.

The other four seem to be so utterly enraged; I don't blame them but this seems just a little deeper for them. After their brief explanation of our situation they told me that they weren't going to stand for it. I wish I could believe them when they say that they'll think of a plan and get out.

But, we were beaten back so easily just last night. These men know us better than we do and they seem dead set on keeping us here.

The silence is shattered by the brown haired boy, 002. He speaks, seemingly either not noticing or not caring about the cameras that are hidden around the room.

_So, is it just me or did we just get our asses completely kicked last night? _He says, not taking his gaze from the ceiling. _I mean, aren't we supposed to be sort of, all powerful and unstoppable? Stop me if I'm wrong…_

_We don't know how long we were asleep for, _says 004, the slightly older man with the grey hair. _But however long it **was; **it was long enough for them to better us. Apart form our new comrade 005 there; we're not the best anymore. They've probably been planning this for a long time…_

_You can tell yourself that if you really want to, _retorts 002. _But I for one am sick to death of being pushed around by these sonsabitches and I'm **not **gonna stand for it!_

_Pipe down Junge or they might hear you, _says 004. _It's only a matter of time._

_I'd watch your damn mouth if I were you, _says 002. _I've just about had it with you and your damn attitude._

_Don't you two **ever **get tired of being at each other's throats? _Asks 003, her face in her hands.

_I have to say I agree with the girl, _I find myself saying. _If we fight amongst ourselves we don't have any hope of fighting our enemies. We have to put our differences aside for now and focus on getting out of here…_

_**He's right, **_says 001. **_We'll find a way 002..._**

003 looks up suddenly, she nods to the door and mouths some words at us. 002 mouths something back but she shakes her head. I look over to them.

_People are coming this way, _says 004. _003 heard them coming and they'll be here any second…_

It still strikes me as strange just how much 003 can hear and see, after we first arrived in here she explained that she had heard me waking up and saw me moving through the trees despite the thick foliage and low light. She quite quickly called her power _une maudire _and said she'd pay any amount of money to be rid of it.

A mighty clang sounds from the door as it slowly opens; two figures walk in, a man and a woman, both in their late sixties.

_Glad to see you lot have settled in, _says the woman, her gaze falling to the deep dents I put in the walls during an attempt at breaking them down. _Here's some food for you. _

The room rings with silence. The woman wheels a trolley in and places four trays of food on the small table in the corner. She taps her foot a couple of times, waiting for one of us to do something. The man clears his throat and begins to speak.

_I don't think any of you five know me except possibly 001, _he says. _My name is Dr Gilmore, I'm head of the cybernetics team and I'm head designer. That might not mean much to you but it basically means that I worked on four of you. Over the next few weeks I'll be doing some work with you lot but rest assured, the vast majority of the work will be focused on the second generation cyborgs._

Again the room is full of silence. The woman looks at Dr Gilmore and smiles.

_What the good doctor is basically saying is that you four first generation cyborgs are pretty much obsolete. The doctor and I are both expressing our confusion as to why the bosses even let you four out when you're oh, what? Fifty years out of date now, or is it fifty-five? Help me here Doctor?_

The doctor has already walked out. The woman shrugs and walks out. She just manages a couple of words before the door clangs shut again.

_Bonne appetite…_

Once again, we are shut in, caged… The others don't seem to have noticed… This obviously means quite a lot to them…

_Fifty years… _Repeats 004. _Fifty years…_

TRANSLATIONS

_Junge Boy (In German)_

_une maudire a curse (In french) (Not entirely sure I got that one right... (Any proper French speakers know if I'm right?))_


	4. Chapter 4

**Note from author:** once again, hello. Oh my, what a long chapter. It was onlt supposed to be a short bridge but I had quite a lot of information to convey. This is 001's bit for this fiction apologises to all the 001 fans out there but he will be 'speaking' a lot more throughout the fic. Again this is somewhat dark but it's how I imagined it. Hope ya like it!!

Inspired by the song 'What's going on' by A Perfect Circle

Bridge 001 - conundrum of time

The room is silent for the other four. The news hit hard for 002, 003 and 004 and 005 is empathic enough to sense this. He tried to fill us in with the patches of history he knows but it wasn't really much of a help. Now they are all sat in silence; minds racing.

They all know they can never go back to their old lives even if we all somehow manage to escape; or at least, they're realising it. They've known it ever since they woke up; it was simply that they were in a state of denial up until now. The food on the table is untouched and unnoticed by them.

Myself, I find it hard to get any emotion out of this whole problem. Yes, time has changed, but my father is still alive, I saw it in the back of his head. I can't really express my feelings to the others; they aren't ready for any more surprises.

_Was he telling the truth? _Says 002. _I mean, couldn't this be a trick to try and control us? How do we even know if this Gilmore guy is even one of their scientists? Back me up here kid…_

He's trying so hard to think of a way for things to be normal.

**_I'm sorry 002, _**I tell him, choosing my words carefully. **_I could see it in his mind, he was telling the truth. Besides, I saw him before they froze us; he was a lot younger then. I wish I could tell you that you're right but I can't. Time has gone by without us… I'm sorry…_**

_You're lying! _He says. _It can't be true…_

He already knows it's true. 003 buries her face in her hands and murmurs something about the noise being too much.

Silence descends once more. 002 keeps telling himself it's not true but too little effect. The silence is shattered with a crash. 004 is on his feet within seconds. It is simple really, a glass of water, smashing in 005's hand. His new strength takes a little getting used to.

003 sighs and pushes her glass over to him, then her plate of food. Then, I see it in her, that little spark, small, but dangerous; it could escalate into something very bad.

**_003…_**

She looks down over to me, face set in stone. She picks me up and sits down on her bed.

_It's nothing petit, _she says. _I'm just not hungry, at least, not for that food…_

_**We both know that's a lie 003, **_I tell her.**_ Don't do this to yourself…_**

_Ne t'inquiéts pas petit, _she whispers. _I'm fine…_

Before I can argue any further she glances over to the door and nods at the other three.

_It's Gilmore, _she whispers. _He's coming back, alone. He, he's scared…_

002 sits down on his bed and complains loudly.

_I tell ya man, _he half-yells. _Fifty-five goddam years and they can't even make the goddam food any better. Lousy bastards._

The door opens slowly and Dr Gilmore walks in, peering left and right. He then walks in.

_I, um, you, um, is this a bad time? _He asks.

_Since when did you give a damn? _Asks 004. _From your recent show of events you're not really winning any points here…_

_I am aware of how wrong this is, _Stammers Gilmore. _But you must understand…_

_No, _003 says, cutting him off. _You really aren't aware of how wrong you are. You toyed with forces that should never have been touched, you took us from our homes and you've completely mutilated us! If we weren't being watched right now I'd let 004 riddle you with bullets…_

I see it then, the guilt and anguish that's been slowly knowing at his mind for the past twenty years. This is a drive for forgiveness, for redemption.

_Please understand, _Gilmore says, gaining little confidence. _I know you all may never forgive me but, I and my fellow scientists want to make things right. We, we want to get you all out of here…_

004's gaze falls on me.

_Is he on the level there 001? _He asks.

I let my mind go blank, I see what he sees, feel what he feels, and yet, nothing. All I can see is the same guilt from before.

**_Yes, _**I tell them. **_He was tricked by them into this. We can trust him… For now, anyway…_**

Gilmore nods, looking slightly relieved.

_You got anything in the way of a plan yet Doc? _Asks 002.

_Alas, no. _Sighs Gilmore. _But, we'll think of something once we've rallied more cyborgs to our cause…_

004 stands up and walks over to the Doctor. Then, without warning he picks Gilmore up by the front of his shirt and speaks, half yelling into his face.

_A word in your ear, Doctor, _he says. _If this is some sort of trick or experiment then now is the time to tell us. If any one of us finds out that this is a trap I will make it my personal mission to kill you. Don't forget, we can see and hear you no matter where you go, we can read your thoughts and we can kill you with ease. So think carefully before you go making any promises; you'll regret any mistakes. Am I clear?_

The doctor falls to the floor, slightly disorientated. He looks wildly around the five of us for some sort of argument to stop 004 but finds none. He stands up and nods.

_Very well, _he says. _I will ensure you all escape here but on one condition._

_You're not really in a place to be making demands, _says 002. _I have to say I'm on 004's side on this one…_

_This is simply logic, _protests Gilmore. _I need you all to act like you're actually giving up or else they'll suspect us all. If the men at the top think you're nothing but test subjects they won't go to all the ridiculous measures to keep you in. Do you understand?_

_I hate to say it but he's right, _says 003. _We'll have to play along for now…_

Then, 003 nods to us again.

_It's that woman, _she says. _She's coming this way, is she in on it?_

_You mean Rita? _Asks Gilmore. _God no, she loves this kind of power._

With that Dr Gilmore changes his tone of voice as the door swings open.

_As I was saying subject 002, _he says. _You are due for a test fight against our new subject, number 006. You are to come along with me immediately for briefing. Come along._

002 stands up, looking moody. He nods to each of us before walking out with the two doctors. Once the door closes the atmosphere changes. Too small to be hope, but close…

TRANSLATIONS

petit - small (in french) (but it can be used to call someone 'little one')

Ne t'inquiéts pas - Don't worry (in french)


	5. Chapter 5

**Note form the author:** Firstly, Happy new year to all who read this. I can't remember whether I added 'Trick of the Devil' before or after new year. Anyway, I've said it now anyways. This is 006's fist narrative out of two for SG. He gets a bit poetic (The only reason for this being that he recited a poem about the moon in the manga, I think it was volume 5 or 6...) One thing, I was in a good mood when I wrote the first half (Thanks to a really nice message from Descent of the Shadows (thanks!)) but I was feeling all wierded out and creepy when I wrote the second half. (Largely due to seeing "Pan's labyrinth" at the cinema/movies, super freeky cool btw.) I just hope it doesn't show in this too much. Other than that not much else to say... See you all later. Oh, and thanks for all the reviews so far, they really cheered me up this winter!

Chapter three - fortune in flames

The last thing I remember is the intense heat of the flames, as my business and my home burn; all my work and toil has turned to ashes in the blink of an eye. All is lost; I am ruined.

_**Wake up…**_

I can still feel the heat now on my face, scorching away all comfort or hope that might have had. But, wait? Is that light? A heart-rate monitor? I got out of the fire, didn't I? Why am I in hospital? Voices drift down onto me like smoke; they are distant, indistinctive.

_**You have to wake up, hurry…**_

The heat becomes more intense with each passing moment in which I am here. But, it's so hot and yet I feel no pain; my skin should have blackened hours ago by the feel of this and yet I remain. This is not the hell I was told of, thus, I am not dead. I have to get out of here; even if this heat isn't killing me I have to get out of here before it does.

_**Quickly, Wake up!**_

In an instant I snap my eyes open. At first all I see is fire, surrounding me on every side. Sweat runs down my face, blinding me for a moment. Why am I still alive? A voice from far above speaks; an intercom? Figures really. I was just about to think I had died too.

_Test 1A successful. Confirmed survival of subject 006 after primary conflagration test. Approval for phase 2 pending… Approval gained… Extinguishing flames in conflagration room and opening blast door for phase 2. Moving into phase 2 in seven, six, five, four, three, two, one… initiating._

What in the name of? 006? Primary conflagration? Phases? Come to think of it, how in the world did I understand that? In school I nearly set my English teacher into an early retirement with my grammar. Now I'm damn fluent. And, what is this other voice, in my head? Either this is some weird dream, I've lost my mind, this is some horrid joke or all of the above. Best to try and find a way out as soon as possible.

As the last flame dies away a great door to my left slowly rumbles open. Outside there is what looks to be an assault course; looks like my best bet. I get outside as fast as my weight will allow; quite a task, though I say so myself.

Outside there is a great expanse of earth (not my element so naturally, I'm cautious) with what looks like a ceiling above it. Artificial light floods this massive room and its unnaturally quiet. Even the sounds of my footsteps seem out of place. But, it isn't a calm silence like in a library or museum; it's far too tense.

Presently, after about ten minutes walk through the field I hear someone's voice from behind an outcropping of rocks. As of yet it is hard to distinguish any words. But, this young man seems to be rather on edge. But, no-one answers when he asks questions, and yet, he seems to speak on regardless. As I get closer words begin to form themselves. I understand them, despite my poor English.

_You've gotta be kidding me, _he says. _I can't fight this guy! I don't even have any fuel in my jets! You want me to just keep dancing around him like some moron? _

A moment of silence passes. He seems to be listening to something. But, then, I begin to hear something. That voice… The voice that woke me up! It's talking to him? After a tangle of incoherent syllables I catch the last two sentences of the person's speech…

… _**Thus, fire is produced. You're both going to have to fight until they let you stop - I'm sorry.**_

Fire? Does this person mean what I think he does? The young man near me yells out.

_Fire?! You have GOT to be shitting me! I'm gonna get toasted!_

It can't be what I think it is, but yet, that sinking feeling in my gut tells me otherwise. As the young man nearby yells out protest after protest I let out a deep sigh but stop in my tracks. Heat-waves are being emitted from my mouth. Oh my, this is certainly getting stranger by the minute.

The young man has become silent. If indeed I have to fight I might as well get it over with. Just before I dive the voice in my head speaks again.

**_Wait, 006, before you go, you need to know how to operate the conflagration machine inside. Don't ask question, just trust me! Take a deep breath, clench your fists and breathe out as hard as you can. Go!_**

With this strange encouragement to inspire me I leap out in full view of the young man. After inhaling a mighty breath and clenching my fists as tightly as I can I force the air back out. With a mighty whoosh the flames leap into life from within and pour from my mouth towards my adversary. For what feels like hours but can really only be about two minutes I fall to the ground, out of breath and faint from the heat.

I wake up a couple of minutes later and the young man is standing a couple of feet away. He goes slightly pale when I sit up. Hang on? Why isn't he hurt? It was a direct hit; he should be burnt to a crisp for sure. He backs off when I stand up.

_Stay back! _He says. _Don't come any closer or I'll waste ya! I mean it!_

I ask him why he's so scared; he moves back a bit further.

_I ain't scared! _He says. _I just don't wanna get fried! Just stay there…_

I try to move a little closer, strictly for the sake of explanation. He just disappears. Less than a moment later he's about thirteen feet away. This could almost be called funny if it weren't so absolutely bizarre. Before either of us can say or do anything the voice speaks again.

**_Calm down 002, there's nothing to worry about. You can stop fighting now; they're just about to announce it. But, officially 006 is the winner._**

_Damn it kid, whose side are you on?! _Asks the young man, 002, I think.

Before the 'kid' can answer an alarm sounds and the intercom speaks again.

_Test 1B completed, subject 006 has passed initial tests. Moving on to phase 3. Approval gained, initiating in five, four, three…_

Before the countdown finishes I can hear the sound of rushing footsteps. Within two minutes we're both surrounded by men and robots (Robots? What in the hell?) with guns. They order us to remain still. 002 puts his hands up with the same look on his face as a high school kid who has just been caught writing notes in class and has to hand over whatever he was writing.

**Put your damn hands up, moron, **says another voice in my head, 002's this time. **Hurry or these bastards are gonna shoot. Just follow along for now…**

One of the robots walks over to 002 and knocks him over.

**No talking without permission. **It says.

How did it hear that? 002 didn't move his lips or even change his face. He gets up and puts his hands back up; I take his advice and raise my hands.

We are led off through a maze of cold corridors with blank walls and video surveillance cameras in every corner. No-one speaks and none of the soldiers around us move out of sync with the others. Eventually we reach a great metal door and 002 and I are shown in, rather forcibly.

Inside, three people greet us.

**_Welcome to the group, 006. _**Says the voice.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author note:** Hello once again to my readers! Here we are with the next chapter, in the narrative of Mr Chang '006' Chanku. It took me a little while to do this one, what with prelims and a bit of a week-long writer's block. But, here it is, done with the help of five coffees and three good episodes of the show. , It ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger, (Almost,) but all and more will be revealed in the next chapter. Also, if it looks like I'm goinf off the plot a bit, I'm not, trust me. Oh, and, I can't believe it took me so long to say this in this fic but, I don't own any of these characters or ideas etc. But, I am adding an incidental character of my own next chapter who will get bit-parts across my fics, look for him!!!!!

Chapter four - The calm…

**_Welcome to the group, 006. _**The voice is saying.

Welcome… Welcome? To what? I can't believe what I'm seeing! Everything wrong, wrong, WRONG! Blank, metallic walls stare at me, a cold steel floor below my feet, cast iron beds?! What kind of a world is this?! Compared to my restaurant this is miles away, another world! The four others all look at me; their faces unreadable. Time passes, a few minutes at most where no-one talks and I stare at my new surroundings, completely dumbfounded. Someone please tell me that this is a horrible dream or that I've just lost my mind from grief!! I try to speak; random words just drop out of my mouth.

_Wha? But… the… my… Tzao gao! _I say. _Please someone tell me it isn't so!!_

I go on, and on, and on. I think maybe, just maybe, I've had a bit of tension building up. I begin to parade around the small room yelling out about the outrages and my complete lack of understanding of what now is going on.

_And another thing, WHY THE TZAO GAO CAN I HEAR VOICES IN MY HEAD?! That just shouldn't be!!!!!!! Somebody tell me!!!_

A fountain of flame shoots out of my mouth towards the wall; very nearly hitting the others in the room. The next minute I look the two teenagers are six feet away at the other side of the room, the really tall guy is in the same place but unharmed and the shorter guy with grey hair is hiding behind him. How the hell?! I just yell out this time.

_What the hell is going on here?!_

The young man I fought earlier gets up and offers a hand to the blonde girl. She curtly ignores it and gets to her feet, stumbling slightly.

_Oh, right, _says the young man I fought. _That's what you were complaining about? Should've figured. I thought you were just, um, ell, I know what I mean. Well, in any case…_

**_In any case, _**says the voice in my head. **_I think I should explain this to 006. Nothing personal 002, it's just, you have a certain way of phrasing that most wouldn't take to._**

Silence falls. It's eventually broken by the shorter man with the greyish hair.

_What he's saying, Zwitter, is that you have a talent for insulting everyone whenever you open your mouth…_

_Hey! I do not! _Retorts the teenager.

**_Not exactly how I would have put it 004, _**says the voice. **_More a point towards a dialect from older New York that most non English speakers wouldn't get. Now, both of you, back down while I explain things to 006._**

The man (004, is that what the voice called him?) sits down on one of the beds and the younger one (Was it 002?) sits down on the floor (Other side of the room, naturally.) and mumbles something incoherent about taking orders from kids.

**_Right, Mr Chanku, _**starts the voice. **_I am 001. Like you, and, indeed, like everyone else in the room, I am a _****_киборг._**

_A what? _I ask.

**_I'm sorry, _**the voice says. **_I mean a cyborg. I'm getting tired. 003, can you lift me up please, I want 006 to see me before I fall asleep again…_**

The girl nods quietly and walks over to the corner of the room (What the hell, a crib? How did I fail to notice it before?) and picks up a small baby. Is that hers? It waves a small hand at me.

**_I'm sorry there isn't an easier way to explain this first part. But, this is me. I was operated on when I was only a year old. We all have individual powers, just like you have yours. Let me make introductions. I'm 001, as you know, I'm, how would you put it? Ah yes, I'm psychic. The one you fought is 002; he can fly and move at high speeds. The girl holding me right now is 003; her sensory capabilities are far past that of a normal human. The man sitting behind you on the bed is 004, he's, well, a weapon, in all respects. And the tall man is 005, he's stronger than a thousand people and he's probably the only one of us who could withstand those flames you shoot out…_**

_So the next time you get a sudden urge to go all ballistic on us, don't! _Cuts in the boy, 002. _'Cos, the walls, floor, roof and big guy may be everything-proof but the rest of us ain't!!_

I nod dumbly and sit down on the floor. This is all rather a lot to take in.

_Who would do this to us? _I ask. _This is completely outrageous! _

_I think he was about to get to that, _says 004. _001? _

The girl shakes her head and stands up, the child still in her arms.

_Il est endormi, _she says. _I suppose we can only hope he'll wake up in time…_

_Right, _says 004. _I'll try and explain the rest, let me know if I miss something out, will you, 003?_

She nods absent mindedly as she puts the infant back into the crib.

_Right, you know you're a cyborg, you know us, _murmurs 004. _Right, the damn bastards who are responsible for turning us into what we are call themselves Black Ghost. They're a kind of multi-million international organisation specialising in weapons and war. They make weapons, use them on countries to provoke war and then sell the same weapons to the countries so they will fight one another. Apparently there's huge money in war and they make the most of it. They've got members all over the world and they hold no respect for people or laws. We, unfortunately, are test subjects, taken from our homes without warning and operated on. Once they've 'perfected' the design they move onto mass production._

_You missed out fifty-five years worth 004, _Says the girl bitterly. _You see, 001, 002, 004 and I are the 'first' generation of this twisted experiment. We were all taken from our homes in the year 1960 and the first test began then. But, we didn't match some criteria, we tried to run, and, we…_

_We got stuck in some freezer for fifty-five odd years. _Finishes 002.

_Now, _says the tall man, 005. _We will break out when we have enough numbers to our cause and this time we will not fail._

It actually took me a moment to figure out who was talking there. This tall man is so quiet, and mysterious. The room goes deadly quiet. Moments pass, this is so difficult. The girl looks up and I hear her voice in my head this time.

**Gilmore, he's alone though.**

This obviously means something to them; a code-word of some sort. The door opens two minutes later and an old man walks in, holding several large packages. He nods to all of the others and looks over to me.

_Hello 006, _he says. _I'm Dr Gilmore. How are you feeling after your fight? I hope 002 wasn't too rough on you…_

_Rough?! _Blurts 002. _The guy nearly singed my goddam hand off and you ask if I was too rough?! I didn't even have enough fuel to get ten feet off the ground and you say I got enough to dodge this guy?!_

_Fine then, _says Gilmore. _I'll admit, finding out about the fight isn't my reason for being here. I have something of an ulterior motive._

He passes each of us a package and an envelope. I notice something strange as he does this. For me, the girl, the boy and the tall man he just passes us the packages, no problem. But, with 004 he just sort of leaves it close to him and backs off. He even walks right around 004 when he walks over to the crib. It's rather funny to watch. He peers into the crib down at 001.

_What's wrong with 001? _He asks, looking over at 003. _Is he ill?_

_No, _she replies, looking inside her package rather scornfully. _He's asleep, he just does that, I think it works in cycles of two weeks. But, we didn't really have much time to find out before now…_

_I see… _Says the doctor, he registered the barb. _Well, that may have a bit of a detrimental effect on our plan…_

_Plan? _Asks 002.

_Yes, _says Gilmore. _The others, and I, have decided that we can't keep you here much longer or else your lives will be in danger._

_Oh, really? _Says 004. _How long did it take for you to figure that one out? Fifty-five years?_

_What I was saying, _Continues Gilmore, voice shaking slightly. _Is that after the next cyborg is in the team and up to speed wit the plan we're going to help you get out. I'll send some ammunition and fuel as soon as possible. Which relates back to the packages I just gave you. Inside the envelopes you'll find detailed blueprints of your enhancements; I'm hoping they'll give you all some kind of clue as to how your powers work. _

_And the packages? _Asks 002.

_Look for yourselves… _says Gilmore.

I tear the top of the package open and look inside. This thing, whatever it is, is bright red. What the hell?

_**(To be continued)**_

TRANSLATIONS

Tzao Gao - crap, in Chinese. (Not sure if it's Mandarin or Cantonese, anyone know?)

Zwitter - Hermaphrodite, in German. (It's 004 using a kind of insult, calling 002 girlie, sort of.)

киборг - Cyborg, in Cyrllic, the lettering used in Russia. (Not sure how it's pronounced, or even if it's right.)

Il Est endormi - He is asleep, in French.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author note:** Hi to all, once more! This is 002's bit for SG (And it's so ironically placed, given that Crystal Remnant said such nice words about me not sticking to the favorite characters, ach well.). Oh, I apologise for my mis-use of Tzao Gao in the last chapter (It's supposed to be Zhao Gao and it's more meant for like 'Oh Crap' rather than 'What the crap'). If I make any other mistakes like that in this chapter please give me a tap on the wrist and keep me from my French Dictionary for a week. Other than that, keep your eyes out for the new character I added in this chapter. He's going to have a part in my fanfic 'Trick of the devil'. Just if you're interested, he's french, like Fancoise, just taller than 004 and he has olive skin, brown eyes and curly brown hair. Thanks to all my reviewers so far! Hugs to all! (Also, the whole 'trousers' thing is me using a British word rather than saying 'Pants'. It's just personal preferance.)

Bridge 002 - Friend?

What the crap? Is this another stupid joke? When we opened these damn packages, what was inside? Bright red, and bright yellow?! This just ain't funny. What kinda clothes are these? The military stuff they gave us before the freezing was bad enough; but, at least we could hide out in that stuff and not be seen for miles around! This is completely crazy! I'm just sitting here, with these new clothes in my hands, trying to decide whether it's worth putting them on or not.

_It's probably best if you don't think about it, _says 006. _If what you said about the cryogenic freezing is true then you've been wearing those clothes for decades. Just think about it that way…_

Pfft, easy for you to say there. I still don't want to do everything these guys ask. It kinda goes along with the whole 'making weapons out of ourselves' that the kid kept going on about before. You never know what these Black Ghost guys are capable of. Hell, they can make psychics, fire-breathers and super awesome flying types. (Not that I'm biased or anything, really.) Maybe they can make mind-controlling outfits…

Then again, no. Maybe I'm just thinking back to comic books and wanting an excuse to destroy something. To be honest, I'm all hyped up and full of energy after that fight with the new guy. It sucks, if these scientist guys are all clever and stuff they should know that fighting gives a guy energy. I can't stand being cooped up like this much longer!

003's been in the bathroom for about half an hour now. She said she was just going to change away from 'prying eyes' but, like I said, that was half an hour ago.

_Um, monsieur 004? _She calls out from in there. _Can you do me a favour?_

_Depends on the favour. _He replies.

_Can you see if there's a spare pair of trousers in any of the packages, _she says, her voice slightly squeaky. _I didn't get a pair…_

_Zwei minuten. _He says.

He searches through the packages, shakes his head and swears a couple of times. Damn, these scientists really **are **sick bastards. Oh well, nothin' to be done for now. Regardless, 004 has a quick double check. Come to think of it, why did she ask him anyway? Why not me, or 005. This better not be one of those **things **or else things are gonna get a bit, difficult. Besides, he's **way **older than her. Gross…

_Sorry fraulein, _He says. _Nothing. We can talk to Gilmore when we see him next. _

_And by 'talk' you mean scare the living daylights out of him until he does what we want. _I say.

Did I mention I'm feeling like a fight? It's true enough; I really need to get some tension out. 004 scowls at me and then starts ignoring me. Damn, I really wanna fight something.

_Don't worry, you can come out, _says 005. _None of us will look. _

_You promise? _She asks.

_We promise. _Says 006.

I hate being spoken for. Oh well. But of course, 003 being her normal self, it takes another five minutes before she shows herself and by that time the rest of us are all changed. She walks over to her bed and sits down. Maybe it's just the fact that I'm looking, she looks kinda paler than before, I dunno. Before anyone else can say anything she holds up her hand.

_Someone's coming, _She says. _Not any of the doctors, I've never seen him come this way before… _

With that, we start the little act that the doctors think is us acting natural. 004 being a loser (as normal), 003 being all sad and unhappy (funnily enough, same as normal), 005 being quiet and mysterious and me being, well, me. Now that I think of it, it's just us being us, only, not saying anything about the plan.

The massive door opens and this guy comes in, dragging this massive metal case behind him. He looks like a soldier. From my experience, I **hate **soldiers.

_Bonjour tout le monde, _he says, trying to catch his breath. _Je m'appelle Rémi. Excuse the intrusion, but, I come on behalf of Dr Gilmore. He asked me to bring these for you all. I, well. One moment. Mademoiselle 003, is it safe to speak freely?_

_Yes, _she says. _What do you have to say?_

_I'm going to help in your escape, _he says. _I'll be guarding the door when you break out. I'll try and make a diversion for you._

Damn it. Another smarmy loser trying to flirt with 003, gross. He flips the case open and tosses something to me. What the hell? It's a goddam gun! Awesome!!

_The gun has three modes, _Explains the soldier guy. _There's a blaster mode, a needle mode and a sleeping gas. It recharges when you're not using it and there's a holster for it in the uniforms you're wearing. It's basically a modified version of the one I have; smaller, but much more powerful._

So the guy likes his weapons, big deal. Shut up already and just go be a soldier already. Leave the real fighting to us; we can handle it!

_One last thing, _He says. _You didn't get these from me, understand?_

He tosses 004 a small box and a small can to me. What the hell?

_Hey, you! _I yell over. _What's this and why should I care?_

_It's fuel for your jets, _He says. _Try and conserve it until I can bring more. The one for you 004, its ammunition._

_Danke schön. _Says 004.

_Oh and something for you mademoiselle. _Says the soldier, Rémi.

A pair of pants for the girl. She nods politely and snatches them off him. And, now, if we're all done with the attraction. Like, do we have a plan yet? Other than just 'get out as fast as we can'. Or, are we so dependant on the intelligence of a psychic baby who is still asleep?

003 looks up again.

_They're coming this way, _She says. _Dr Gilmore and that woman. 004, they're getting you ready for a test against the new cyborg. They don't know about the ammunition, or the fuel, hide them._

And yes, here they are; the Doctors. Gilmore is in evil mode, pretending like he's just another bastard. He looks over to Rémi.

_What are you doing here, soldier? _He asks. _I don't recall giving you permission to enter this area._

_Apologies, sir, _Rémi says, saluting. _Just handing out the standard issue weapons, they haven't been activated yet._

Liar. This thing is **so **working. Oh well. Gilmore looks over to 004.

_Subject 004, _He says. _You have a test now, facing the new subject, 007. Come along._

And yes, he only slightly flinches when 004 stands up. I used to have that effect on my teachers in school. But now, I'm here and still wanting to fight something. We gotta get out of here…

**_TRANSLATIONS _**

Monseur - Mr, in French

Zwei minuten - Two minutes, in German

fraulein - miss, in German. (Got the spelling right this time!)

bonjour tout le monde - Hello everyone, in French

Je m'appelle - My name is (Technically it literally translates as 'I call myself'), in French

mademoiselle - miss, in French

Danke schön - thank you very much, in German.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author note: **Once again, hello to all and warmest regards from rainy Scotland! Sorry for the overall lateness of this update. It was mainly but not limited to exams, fillings, having my laptop (Kiwi) confiscated for not having a tidy room and a slight inability to write humour. This might not actually be funny so I'm sorry. It is up to **_you,_** my dear readers to deem this funny or not. Because, this it my first proper attempt at writing humour. So sorry if it turns out lame. And, for those who are wanting more of 'Trick of the Devil', more is on the way. Now that I've learned my lines for the school show (Oklahoma!) and thought out the plot writing will restart! Look out for it! And, as usual, there are translation of the foreign words down at the bottom of the chapter. Also, in this chapter, I wrote out the humour I refer to. Most of it is saved on my "youtube" profile. My username for it is written on my profile on this site; y'know, just in case you wanted to see what in the hell I'm referring to! See you next chapter!

**Chapter five - The show must go on…**

The show is over now, the curtain falls and the lights fade out. No, wait! One more bow, just for the audience's sake! The curtain rises once more and the lights snap on at full power; dazzling me for just a few brief moments. But no, I shine far brighter than anything or anyone else tonight. Now, to finish, my arse-kissing little speech.

_Ladies and gentlemen, one and all! I, George Bradley Fisher, the "Great Britain" would personally like to thank each and every one of you for coming tonight. It has been a pleasure and an honour to perform here tonight, here, on my own turf once more!_

And might I add, on a personal note, that you're all a bunch of cheapskates and nobodies who wouldn't know good theatre if it came and kicked you right in the face.

_You've all been such a great crowd. I think I can safely say, without exaggeration, that you've been one of the best audiences I've ever performed for. Thus, on behalf of my fellow actors and, myself, I would like, once again to thank you all! Give yourselves a great big hand, ladies and gentlemen!_

And I **still** really hate you all. Do you bastards even know how many times we had to cut ticket prices? Just to make you sit here and be given class A theatre! Nice smiles and happy applause aren't going to pay the rent on my damn flat! If I wasn't so damned desperate for money I'd just give you all a piece of my damn mind!

The applause grows louder.

_Thank you, thank you, one and all!_

Just keep smiling, take another bow.

Wait. I can't move. Nothing's responding, I've just, frozen. And the audience are all staring at me, whispering behind their hands. This hasn't happened since high school. Bugger it!

The whispering becomes louder and louder. Then, they start to clap again. The noise combines.

Wait, that's not what it is, it's static. A TV, or a radio? What the bloody hell is making that damn noise?

I open my eyes; the room is dim and rather empty. My head feels like it's full of porridge and I feel like I'm about to throw up. Yes indeed, it's a hangover. Thus, I WAS drunk last night, thus I WAS unhappy enough to WANT to be drunk, thus I am still out of work and I will probably be thinking the exact same things this time tomorrow. Bugger it.

_Nurse? Nurse? Do you have an aspirin I could…?_

No G.B., this isn't a hospital. What in the hell? Looks like a military bunker or something. Is this a bloody joke or something? Wouldn't be the first time I've ended up in some weirdly random place and it probably won't be the last either. Regardless, **this **is new. And, what the hell am I wearing? Just like the Spanish inquisition from Monty Python, only somewhat, cheaper. Hell, Puck wouldn't even be seen dead in this. But, no zippers, no seams; how the hell do I get this thing off?

I stand up, walk three short steps, and fall.

_Craaaaaap!_

What the hell? A cape… Oh… Ok, Now, I'm losing it… Either it's one too many glasses of whiskey or I'm just dreaming. Either way, I'd rather just **not **be here thank you very much. But, firstly, how do I get out? Secondly, how the hell do I figure out where I am without making a scene? Thirdly, how do I get home? I'm bloody broke and if indeed I'm in the middle of nowhere… crap.

At any rate, the only way to go is forwards. With that, I get up, managing not to trip over the stupid cape and make my slightly shaky way over to the door. I touch the door and something clicks on behind me. So it **was **a TV making all that static. Some big-nosed guy is mumbling to someone behind the camera.

_Is this thing on, Rita?_

_Yes indeed, Dr Gilmore, it's recording now. Go on then. _Says another voice from off screen.

_Right then, ahem, _says big-nose. _Cyborg 007._

007? James bond? Not a chance. Not nearly as suave and sexy as dear double-oh-seven. Oh well.

_Don't talk during this presentation as it will only be played once before the door opens. You, cyborg 007 are at a remote facility. There is no escape and no other way for this to happen. You are about to enter an experimental training exercise, fighting one of our other cyborg soldiers. You need to win this fight because your opponent will probably kill you if given half a chance. Now, onto the slightly tricky part. Your, enhancements, are more, complex, than anything we've ever tried before so we need to ensure we got them right. To activate transformation hit the switch on your navel and picture, in your head, the form you wish to take. It has to be a clear picture or it won't work. Give it a try after this transmission ends. After you have finished practicing touch the door again. It will open. We'll know once you've defeated your opponent. _

The TV cuts to static. Ok… right… oh well. Might as well give this a try then. Hell, why not **look **like a fool, just to add to **acting **like a fool and, oh yeah, **being **a fool. Could be fun.

Right G.B., give it your all. Come on. I screw up my eyes, picture the first person I can think of in my head (Yes, it would have to be stupid old big-nose from that video just there, but oh well, time is not an issue…) and then press my navel, slightly too hard. My ears ring, a strange popping noise sounds and then I feel, what's the phrase again? Completely buggered up!

When I have the guts to open my eyes there's this huge nose in the way. I sort-of hobble my way over to the TV screen and I see my reflection.

_Well, bugger me sideways… _I say, in the old man's voice. _Oh, I am fortune's fool!_

My god. This is… amazing. Time to experiment methinks. I try it again, seeing the image of who I want to be in my head and prod mine navel. Pop! And yes, there, right in front of me, in my reflection, Mr John Cleese. I bow to my little parody and strike a conversation.

_Why, Mr Cleese, what a fine day it is!_

_Yes indeed G.B., and might I add, you're looking particularly dashing today._

_Same to you. _

Wonderful, simply delightful. I could keep this up all day. After a deep bow (in which that blasted cape ended up over my face) I become my wonderful self once more. Quite amazing. And now, on to business. Alas, had I more time and more inspiration I would act out all of Hamlet alone.

The door opens with a touch; I stroll out, care-free as a child and whistle to myself. It would have to be 'Always look on the bright side of life' wouldn't it? Wait; if this bugger **is** trying to kill me then I'd better disguise myself. Then again, I don't even know if he knows what I look like. Might as well give him a run for his money then. Where is he though?

I run around for something like fifteen minutes. What kind of place is this? Looks like ground zero for a bomb site or something. Whatever the hell it is, I'm completely knackered within those fifteen minutes. I hide behind a conveniently placed tank (not even going to ask how or why it ended up upside down) and catch my breath. It is then and only then that I catch sight of my opponent. Bloody hell. He looks about my height, grey-ish hair and the same bright red clothes I'm sporting. At least I won't lose sight of him easily. Time for some sneaking methinks. I am the colour of the sand now. I need a theme tune round about now. This is so amazing, I'm right behind him and he hasn't noticed me. Thus, I become him, a perfect match, and I tap him firmly on the shoulder. He starts and looks around. And thus, from this moment, I try my own version of the mirror scene from 'Duck Soup'. He blinks, I blink. He takes a step back, I take a step back.

This goes on for five minutes, maybe six. Then he points his, his hand at me. It's all metallic and the fingertips are missing. Bugger it, and I was doing so well; now I need to change my hand. I press my navel and shake my hand until it looks like his.

_Happy now? _I say.

_Verdammt! _He yells. _Stop being so foolish!_

_Foolish? Me? _I say, adopting his voice. _But, yet, I am you, good sir. And thus if I am you then **you **must be the fool! You see?_

**Now isn't the time, **He says, despite not opening his mouth. **They're watching both of us right now and they'll shoot if we don't start fighting soon. Give up, end this, I don't want to have to hurt you, Mr Dummkopf. **

Not on your life, mate. I have a little pride to regain here. I try the old kick-in-the-kneecaps thing, but, oh bugger, he's not even in any pain.

_That won't work on me, _He says. _You asked for it!_

I get a punch, right in the face. It bloody hurts, I tell you. I fall to the ground, nose bleeding.

**Now will you give up, **he says. **I've had more than enough violence that I'd like over this past little while. So, what do you say?**

No choice then. I nod. He fires (where's the bloody gun?) just a few short centimetres away from my feet and I put my hands up.

**_Be nice 004, _**says another voice. **_There's no need to go overboard on it._**

**Oh, you're awake now, 001? **He says. **Guten morgen.**

Then, before I can say 'jack shit' we're surrounded. This just got bad….

_**TRANSLTIONS**_

_Verdammt - damn (or damn it) in German._

**Dummkopf - fool in German**

**Guten Morgen - Good morning in German**

**_REFERENCES_**

"the Spanish inquisition from Monty Python" - a very famous scene from Monty Python in which the guys dress in red outfits (favourited on my "youtube" profile)

"Mr John Cleese" - one of the numerous men involved in acting Monty Python, agruably the most famous.

"_Oh, I am fortune's fool!" - _Quote from Romeo and Juliet, I think. (I had to get Shakespeare in there somewhere, right?)

"the mirror scene from 'Duck Soup'" - famous scene from the 1930's film by the Marx Brothers. (favourited on my "youtube" profile)


	9. Chapter 9

**Note from author:** Hello one and all! Here's the new chapter of SG! Woot! 007's second half of naration. I admit, I went slightly mad with him quoting Shakespeare, but only a little. Thank goodness for the internet. Besides, my English teachers would expect me to add Shakespeare given the situation. On another note, with the English dub of Cyborg 009, the guy who did 007's voice didn't do a very convincing English accent. It's not a major thing, given how many accents ther ought to be, but still... Never mind. More from this and Trick of the Devil to come after I've slep for a couple of days and written and edited the new chapters. Untill then1 Arrivaderci!

_**Chapter six - Et tu, Black Ghost?**_

_Remember G.B, _I think back to. _"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages."_

Now that I'm in an actual jam I can't actually remember who said those words to me. It's going to really annoy me until I figure out who said it, or even, if I just quoted it to myself just before my first audition to make myself feel better. Either way, I can't stop thinking that this entire situation feels like another play, just, with a bigger stage and an end we haven't rehearsed yet. We all seemingly have parts to play and now our lives are integrated like the cast in a performance.

For the past half hour my fellows in this freakish charade have been explaining the crisis to me. The 'future war plan', Black Ghost, cybernetics, secrecy, kidnapping, international warfare and the definite factor that our lives are in mortal peril. There's even a whole entourage of cyborgs like me with weird and wonderful powers; my fellow victims in the whole thing. We plan to break out as soon as the shift changes in an hour's time. For the outside world and away from here. There aren't words enough to describe what I'm feeling right now.

_Holy buggering hell!! _I yell out.

Damn it. Fifteen years I save up my favourite quote from Hamlet for a moment like this (Well, maybe not like _this_, but, you know what I mean.) and I waste the moment! Damn it all to hell and back again! This sort of thing only ever comes once in a lifetime!

Oh, everyone's looking at me. Whoops.

_So um, _I say. _Anything good on the menu then chaps? _

_No, _says the short guy with the moustache. _There's only this complete bunch of ABSOLUTE RUBBISH that's nothing more than raw meat fried in grease!!_

Doesn't sound too bad to be honest. I'm absolutely starved and thus, I could eat anything. The short guy snorts and calls the food something I don't quite catch. The boy with the red hair slides a tray along the table to me.

_Here, I ain't never eatin' that crap again, _He says. _Help yourself, baldy._

_I'll have you know Mr Big-nose, _I say, agitatedly. _That I shave my head for dramatic effect!_

_**And to cover the fact that you've got a hair-line that a comb-over won't cover any more. **_Says the voice.

Lies! It's simply not true! Damn it, I'm blushing from head to foot.

_Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears! _I say, taking my moment. _This Black Ghost, this villain, villain, smiling, damned villain has denied us all our beloved freedom. I make it my personal mission to thus forward our pursuit for liberty and find a new dawn!_

Silence, complete and total silence.

_God, you people are the worst audience I've had in years, _I say. _But regardless, you're the **first **audience I've had in years and no actor can choose such things. The show must go on! Thus, I shall act once again! The return of the Great Britain! _

Once again, complete silence. The pale blonde girl raises an eyebrow, mutters something in French (With my limited high-school knowledge of French all I made out was_ fatiguée) _and sits down on the nearest bed. The tall man gives a concerned look.

_You are ill, 003, _He says. _Perhaps we need to postpone things until you are well…_

_No, _She says. _This might be our only chance. Besides, it's this place that's doing this. I'll feel better once I'm out…_

_As I was saying, _I say, in my best voice. _Was that one simply cannot eat an orange and throw away the peel! A man is not a piece of fruit!_

_Would you QUIT with the Shakespeare already?! _Ask big-nose. _It's driving me nuts!_

_Actually that last one was Arthur Miller, _I say indignantly. _Just because dear Mr Shakespeare happens to be my favourite playwright it doesn't mean I can't be varied! Honestly…_

He snorts and sits down on the second bed from mine. The man I fought earlier stands up and glances at the baby.

_How are we doing for time? _He says. _What's going on?_

_Not jumpy, are we, 004? _Asks the short guy.

_Not that it matters, _Retorts the man. _But I think I have good reason to be. Especially since I've been here much longer than you, 006. I'm sick of this Hölle after all these years._

_Remind me again, would you? _I say, before anything turns nasty. _Who's who, in terms of numbers, letters and all these zeros? Because, to be honest, __the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in the fact that I can't do numbers to save myself!"_

Once again, silence. This is beginning to annoy me. Don't these people know any theatre at all?

**_I'm 001, _**explains the voice in my head. **_And no, I'm not Hamlet's father from beyond the grave. The one you keep calling 'Antonio' is 002, the girl who you think of as 'Ophelia' is 003. The man you fought and keep calling 'Hamlet' is 004. The tall man you call 'Benvolio' is 005 and the short man you keep calling 'Horatio' is 006. It shouldn't be much trouble._**

_I don't even understand why you're having trouble in the first place, _Adds Ophelia, damn, I mean, 003. _You're an actor right?_ _Don't actors have good memories in the first place?_

Damn, she got me. I'm not man enough to admit that three years of unemployment have made my memory tricks a bit rusty at the best of times. The girl sighs and puts her head in her hands, complaining quietly about too much noise in the place.

I find myself wondering, is this all a guilt-and-booze-induced hallucination after all this time? Could be, maybe… But then again, if I were dreaming I'd have more control over my audience and I wouldn't feel so damned hungry. Now that I can actually see the food I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot barge-pole.

The baby, 001, looks up.

**_It's time. _**He says, in our heads.

Without a word we all stand, in unison; in silence. But no, this silence is much more meaningful. It's like the silence one gets from the audience in a play when they know a tense moment is coming, but yet, they do not know it. And now, for us, the stage is set, the lights are on and the curtain is about to rise. Any moment. Any second now…

From behind us someone falls and lands with a nasty bump. We all turn at once to see.

Ophelia? Ophelia!! Miss 003! She's fainted, out for the count! Her face - paler than paper - shows fear and worry crossed with determination as we try to bring her around.

She won't wake up. 002 shakes her, rather violently and calls out to her.

_003! 003! _He yells. _Wake the hell up!!!_

004 looks up and suddenly his face changes.

_We're too late, _He says. _We've missed our chance…_

_**TRANSLATIONS**_

_Hölle - Hell, in German_


	10. Chapter 10

**Author note: **Hello one and all! I offer my deep, deep apologies for the lateness of this update. School stuff got in the way. I had choir and Italian on my mind (btw it might just have been worth it; A for my Italian speaking test and our choir came in first place in category when we were competing!) but now I only have one more major essay until after Easter/Eostre. The next chapter in this fic is 008 and he absolutely rocks! (008 and 004 are my joint favourites fyi) Look out for more of TotD too! Oh, also, in the last chapter, there was a hint at what was to happen at the end of that chapter. 007 nicknmed 003 'Ophelia'. Of course, in Hamlet, Ophelia ends up in tragedy. It was kinda prophetic (love that word!) and stuff. No, it's probably (wink) not leading anywhere unless I feel adventurous... Until next time!

_**Bridge 003 - Burden**_

_Françoise? _

_Oui, Jean?_

_Prometts un chose pour moi._

_Oui, qu'est que c'est?_

_Ne renonce jamais…_

_D'accord…_

The darkness is slowly diminishing, replacing itself with pinpricks of light, things that only I can see; my three-dimensional scope, before I've even opened my eyes. Then the sounds. Strangely, the far sounds first, two soldiers talking. I recognise one as Rémi, the other, I don't know. Or, I know his voice and appearance, but, we've never met. Then, the hiss and thump of a massive machine, the crackle and hum of high voltages, and loud voices of men in training. The voices of my comrades drift into my cloudy mind like blood through water; I register them, but then they fade into the overall din.

I drift in and out of memories and dreams, dancing through eighteen years of Françoise, a month of 003 and nearly sixty years of void. Who am I now? I only wish I could tell for sure. Because, during our sleep - those decades - we did not dream; we were unaware of anything. Did Françoise Arnoul ever exist? Or, is she my dream? A way of coping with this lack of identity, maybe…

Or is this Françoise's dream? I find it hard to believe that she and I are one. She had hopes, dreams and family. I have only metal walls and death at every corner. Someone, let this dream end. Either let me wake up at home again or let Françoise fade forever…

_She's coming around… Get some water, would ya?_

The voices of the others pierce a hole into my dream. The cold feeling returns to me, inch by inch until I shiver all over from the cold.

_She's waking up…_

No, no, No! I don't want to wake up again! Let me sleep! Please, _Laisse moi!_

_Hey, is she OK, man? She looks kinda bad… Where's the kid?_

Leave me to be. I don't **want **to wake up again; not to that world. But, even if I try to block my nightmare out my senses betray me. Even with my eyes closed I can see each and every person in this entire facility perfectly; where they are and what they're doing. In the room with me now are 002, 001, 006 and 007. 004 and 005 are two rooms down the corridor talking quietly and urgently to Dr Gilmore about me. The other doctors are two floors up from us, discussing their new subject in the same way that I - I mean Françoise - used to talk about dance recitals. Nearer me 006 speaks up from the din of the world.

_002, if you spoke much louder she'd be able to hear you from a mile away; without her enhancements! I'll tell you one thing; if we ever get out of here I'll personally…_

_Gents, _007 cuts in. _This is hardly a time for warring amongst ourselves! We can settle this after feasting on sweet liberty, but, not now! The poor girl needs our help right now, compose yourselves!_

My head swims. I just don't care anymore; just as long as this ends…

As I open my eyes the others stop arguing and fall quiet, as if waiting for an answer to a question. I can't even find words yet. I know what will come, in only moments. The questions, and accusations. I know I won't be able to give them an answer, or at least, one they'll accept and understand.

_Hey answer me something, _002 says. _The kid said you passed out 'cos you ain't been eating nothing. What the hell are you thinking?! _

The room is still, quiet apart from our heartbeats. I'm not even sure if I can muster the right words. I just feel so, empty, I can't even explain it. It's like there's just nothingness where all me feelings used to be.

_I, I don't know, _I manage to say. _I was, empty… No, more like… I can't really tell you why…_

_And you realise we might not got another chance to get out of here, right? _002 says.

_Of course she knows, _snaps 006. _The girl's not a fool!_

_And you're just ok with her endangering our lives and ruining our chances? _Butts in 002.

_It was a stupid move, I'll grant that, _006 continues. _But, there have to have been reasons for this. We will find a way through this._

What does it matter that I'm even awake? They haven't stopped arguing. I might as well not be here for all the good I'm doing. They're so caught up in their fight, each trying to get the last word in. Now 007 joins in, trying to cease the fight with no avail.

A noise fills my mind, the others hear it too. The fight ceases and the others look around slightly dumbly.

**_Now isn't the time to be arguing, _**001 says, from his corner, after ceasing the noise. **_We have a situation on our hands. _**

And then, almost as if they had been waiting for their cues 004, 005 and Dr Gilmore walk in. I catch a rather irate glance from 004 just before he speaks.

_You may or may not know this already, _He begins._ But, there's a problem. The new test model is done; the eighth one and one of us has to fight him. But, it's no random decision over who goes. 003, you're meant to fight this guy. I tell you Schwester, you couldn't have picked a worse time to pass out. They're **really **happy with this one and unless we find a way of letting them make a switch you're going to fight him._

_And, as I've already told these two, _Adds the Doctor. _It's not in their nature to make switches on the base of illness. If I were to ask for a trade trouble would ensue. They're already starting to think things…_

The weight of this whole situation begins to close in on me. We will never get out of here. Never see the sun again or hear the wind. I feel so small compared to all this.

_Well, there **is **the option that I go, _007 says. _I am an actor - by trade and by nature - and these gifts might come in handy now… See, look, let me give it a shot. _

He turns around, a strange popping noise sounds, and then, I see myself standing by the doorway. But, is that really what I've become? The other me that 007 has created, she seems so, wrong. Her eyes are empty, her hair is flat and messed, her clothes hang loosely from her and she seems like nothing is worth anything to her anymore, it can't be me! But yet, it is, in a strange way. He mimics my sad walk and stares only at the floor.

I feel a drop of water splashing onto my hand; tears swell in my eyes and my breath comes out in ragged sobs. Even through my tears I see them, staring uncomfortably, wondering what to do. Just, stop, staring! That isn't even me!

**It doesn't have to be this way…**

In a flash my sadness burns away into anger. Every part of my mind flares into rage. These people have no right to take us and turn us into their playthings! We all had lives, hopes and dreams and they were taken from us! If I even had half the power of any one of the others I'd take my vengeance and make these people suffer as we have. In a moment I'm on my feet, wiping tears from my eyes.

_Please rest more, _005 says. _You're still unwell, you may not recover if you over-exert yourself now…_

Naturally. But, I'm not as weak as they all might think. Sixty odd years ago I promised my brother that I'd never give up. I promised Natalie that I would never stop.

_Don't worry, _I say. _I'm going to be fine. Besides, the other scientists are coming. They're not going to let anyone else into the test bar me. I'm ready._

_**He's stringer than you think 003, **_I hear in my head. **_You're not going to get by on your senses alone. The new subject is a trained soldier!_**

I don't care. And 001 knows this now. I'm tired of being pushed around by people. If I can get a chance to go home I'm taking it.

The door swings open. The vile woman, Rita, walks in; followed by a man I've heard her refer to as Prof. Takuma Nekasa. He is a nervous man and I catch the worried glance on his face as he looks me over.

_I suppose there's no need to explain what's going on, is there, 003? _Rita says. _Come on._

I follow, ready for a fight and knowing, secretly, that I might never see anywhere but this facility ever again.

_**TRANSLATIONS**_

_Oui, Jean? - Yes, John (In French)_

_Prometts un chose pour moi. - Promise one thing for me (In French)_

_Oui, qu'est que c'est? - Yes, what is it? (In French)_

_Ne renonce jamais… - Never give up (In French)_

_D'accord… - Ok (In French)_

_Laisse moi! - Leave me! (In French)_

_Schwester - Sister (In German)_


	11. Chapter 11

**Author note:** Hi to all! A hundred thousand of my sincerest apologies for the late update! It's not even like I've been devoting my time to other fanfics either. It's been all school and home. What with all my essays, dissertations, exam revision and presonal problems (let's not even go there, k?) it's been about two stages past hectic over the past month or so. And, to put the icing on the metaphorical cake I have my exams in about a month's time, maybe less. . But, there **_WILL_** be updates, even if i don't sleep because of them. Anyway, on to 008. Here's part one of his narrative. In my opinion 004 and 008 are the two most awesome cyborgs in the bunch. Of course, everyone loves all of the cyborgs, right? But in my opinion 008 is such an unsung hero, and he's so cool! Look out for the next update soon! (Probably TotD, btw.) p.s. extra special thanks to Figurelogics and Descent of the Shadows for putting up with my mad product-design orientated madness! Woot! And yeah, thanks to every single person who's read or reviewed this so far! I love you!

Chapter seven - artificiality

_Why do we do it? Why do we fight? Do we believe in the ideals? Do we think we'll actually make a difference in the end? For a while I thought I knew what I was trying to achieve; the idea worth dying for. But, after so long, I don't even know if there can be a world without fighting…_

The light faded so long ago, stealing all the warmth and light from the world, bringing only dark, and fear. The cold strikes like a blow in the stomach, suddenly forcing all my breath out and making the warmth seem worlds away. I may never see the light nor feel that warmth ever again. But, I've known that ever since I began to fight. Any moment could be my last…

The world is still, everything is waiting for something. The deep, heavy silence is only briefly broken for brief flashes as half-remembered dreams and long-forgotten memories flash before my eyes. Recent events give way - slowly but surely - to times long gone. A village slowly consumed by flames, a boy, barely out of childhood, holding an MK47, that one year when the rains never came. But, during that first real fight it was raining; I remember so clearly, the fear, which was followed so quickly by the adrenaline, and the aftermath, those two hellish days when I could eat no food nor drink no water for the shock.

The last devastating fight slowly merges with the first, as though those ten years had never even happened. Is this death? I remember, years ago, when those missionaries visited our village and spoke of the life after death. Is this it?

I would be a fool if I really believed it was over.

My heartbeat thumps in my ears, steadily. Other than that no other sound reaches me. Where am I? After that last fight, what happened? I don't remember…

_Wait, there was an ambush, we got shot down. Everyone was killed! Why am I here?_

In a flash I wake up, heart pounding and mind racing. Where am I? It feels so close in here and I can barely breathe for it. And it's completely dark here. I try to call out to someone - anyone - and water rushes into my mouth; I'm underwater? In an instant my heart begins to pound in my ears, the water rushes up my nose and down my throat.

But, in all respects, I should be dead already. Why am I still alive? I shouldn't even have woken up. I'll figure out what's wrong when I get to the surface. If, if I get to the surface.

What feels like a long time later there is no end to this, this cavern, I'm stuck in. It just feels like a long tunnel. I know I should be dead by now; no human could even have managed half as long as I have here. Why am I even here?

As I advance in the dark it becomes easier and easier to swim, I begin to feel each individual movement of the current. I even begin to make out shapes, jutting rocks and stalactites. A small part of me - the part that died after my fist gun battle - keeps telling me to go back, to stop before I die. I pause, letting that small ball grow, slowly. My heart rate speeds up. Then, and there, for the first time since I was a child, I am afraid. As soon as I know it the darkness seems to become all the more intense. All the fear and anger and hatred from my life mix and surge out in a single yell.

The yell is silent in the water, no more than a bubble of air in the water.

**_Wait, don't give up now! _**I hear, in my head. **_You're so close, you'll see light soon! Just be prepared for the air; it'll be quite a shock when you surface. All will be clear soon, _**

_Wait! Who are you? How are you talking to me?!_

Moments later I'm on the move again, drifting with the current with new energy and a determination to see light again. I don't even care what's up there; I can fight, just as long as I see light again. The more I think it over the faster I swim. A part of me even senses the obstacles, helping me to manoeuvre in the black.

After a time, anything from ten minutes to an hour, the darkness begins to fade; the obstacles become dark shadows in the growing light. With nothing to hold me back I follow the tunnel as it rises. I barely even notice the water anymore.

After one final surge of energy I break the surface of the water, gasping and choking for air. In that moment, the briefest of moments I couldn't take in any air, I must have only been moments away from fainting.

The light is far from what I expected. The source is a long row of bright bulbs, nearly fifty feet above me. The terrain is artificial, one glance tells me that. Even if the walls are more than a hundred feet away their presence is still there. I wander, all too aware of the feeling that I'm being watched. This ground is bad for combat, far too wide open. I'm a target here. The joy of surviving I felt - only minutes before - melts into apprehension and awareness.

I move between the available hiding places, constantly aware of my surroundings. What happened to that sense I was getting in the water? Why isn't it here, and now?

**I have you in my sights, **I hear in my head. **Put your hands where I can see them, now!**

I raise my hands, slowly turn around and look to see my opponent. To my complete surprise she's still about thirteen feet away, gun in hand. She is dressed the same as I am, but, she's afraid of something. She keeps glancing over her shoulder at something.

It's easy to see, she has never fought like this before. But, with that gun she's still a threat. Maybe I can talk to her, we could help one another. Nothing for it then. It takes a lot less time than I had predicted to get over to her. I kick the gun out of her hands, it lands ten feet away with a clatter and we stand nearly face to face. For a moment we stand, staring at one another, unsure of anything.

Then she strikes, nearly catching me off guard, barely missing. She strikes again, a fierce kick, knocking me over. I would strike back but for my hatred of hurting those who have done nothing wrong.

**What are you waiting for, **I hear in my head, her voice. **Fight back. Please, I'm sorry to have to do this but they won't be satisfied until we fight! Tu comprends?**

**Who's watching us? **I think back, not knowing quite how to. **What do you mean?**

She smiles weakly and glances a green eye up for a moment. For a brief flash I see the light glint off the lens of a camera. But who's watching? Before I can even begin to ask she lands another hit, right across my face. This time I hit back.

As the minutes fly past we keep fighting the same way, she hits, I defend, I hit and she defends. It feels like she is treating the whole fight like some kind of dance. But she's beginning to tire, minute by minute. She's attacking less and letting me defend. I'm beginning to worry, she looks like she's about to faint at any moment. She's become seriously pale and her forehead is covered in beads of sweat.

We must have been fighting for over an hour, I have a stitch in my side and if I keep going for much longer I'll just collapse. The girl already has. I don't know why she would fight if she's sick. She probably didn't have much of a choice by the looks of things. Before she faints she mutters three words.

_La phantome noire…_

What am I meant to do? There isn't anyone else around. What if she really needs medical care?

_Help! Is anyone out there, _I find myself yelling. _Someone, please help!_

Moments pass, only moments and all of a sudden we are surrounded. Tall men with guns, at every side. I'm already regretting yelling out for help.

I would be a fool if I really believed it was over.

TRANSLATION

Tu comprends? - Do you understand? - In french.

La phantome noire… - The Black Ghost - In french


	12. Chapter 12

**Author note:** Hi again everyone! I'm sorry for the long silence! My life has been absolutely hectic these past few weeks and I've very nearly lost my mind in the process. First there was exam revision, then, exams, then, show rehearsals non-stop, then, the show itself (Oklahoma!) and now I have officially left school forever (woot!) and have a job interview on Tuesday (Oh noes, what am I going to do?!). Other than that there ain't much to report from here, other than maybe the hinges on my laptop breaking so I can' actually use it without propping the screen up on a damn chair. Anyway, here is Pyunma-san's second chapter, later than I had planned but still here. Thanks for waiting up! I hope to update on TotD soon as well so keep your eyes open! xx Kit.

Chapter 008 - grasping the light

_I'm afraid I have some bad news for you all, _The old man says, his voice steady. _We have much less time than I would ever have imagined. We may have to move sooner than I thought or else we may not all make it out of here alive. _

_Alive? _004 says from a corner. _That's rich._

_I'm serious about this, _Continues the doctor. _I've been hearing some strange rumours flying around the labs, rather disturbing things. For instance, I'm sure you've all noticed the larger gap in time since a new test subject has arrived after 008..._

How could we not notice? Two long, overwrought weeks of nothing but waiting for news and getting in each other's ways. It's amazing how fast you can learn about a person or even a group of people when you see no-one but them. I'm beginning to understand bits and pieces about these seven folks and hopefully it should be an advantage if and when we are caught in combat together. I'm forming a plan based on what they've all told me about their cyborg abilities. This whole scenario seems so absurd to me, like a dream, or even a practical joke.

_What, two weeks? _002 asks. _I don't know __**what **__you mean. I mean, compared to __**sixty goddam years **__it's a damn cakewalk!_

The doctor registers the barb and seems almost to shrink a little. He falters and a moment of dead silence rings loud through the room.

_Oh 002, _003 says. _Making yourself feel better in the short run isn't going to help here. Dr Gilmore is trying to make up for his mistakes. He and most of the other doctors are going to help us get out; try to be a little more respectful._

_Respect ain't my thing, _002 says, calmly. _We ain't all from rich French families here doll._

I don't believe this, we're fighting over nothing. Before anyone else can say anymore 005 steps forward, his voice surprisingly loud.

_There is nothing to fight over. We are all frightened and lost but we must not turn on ourselves. Save your energy for when you need it. Now, Dr Gilmore, what have you been hearing?_

Gilmore nods and stands up. He suddenly looks so frail and tired. It begs the question, how old is he really? If he was old enough to be on the cyborg project when the first four were taken in he must be at least in his seventies by now. Is he going to be a liability?

_Firstly, and, most importantly, the cyborg project has been taken out of my hands for this new cyborg, the future 009. About a week after 008 was completed I was ordered to hand in all blueprints and notes on all previous projects. Apparently my position as head of cybernetics - a post previously taken up by a certain Gamo Wisky - has just been handed to a man named Baeddan Guaya. Apparently his new ideas on energy generation and miniaturisation are better than mine. At any rate, if this is true I might not have very long to live. The last man in my position - Wisky - hasn't made contact with any of us in years. This new project, number 009, is a culmination of all the technology used in you all. Ideas and parts from all of you bar 001 and 004 have been used to make the new cyborg the best ever. If this is so the Black Ghost may have no further use for you all either. _

Again the room is silent. 006 is the first to speak.

_Well, couldn't we just take this new cyborg into our squad like before? _006 asks. _If we can get a fighter as powerful as him on our team our chances would increase._

_That thought did cross my mind, _Gilmore admits. _But, there's more bad news. There's also talk of new procedures. There's this whole business of subliminal suggestion. Basically, it's creating an idea in the unconscious mind of a subject and basically brainwashing the subject into whatever one wants. I don't know if they've used it on our 009 but if they have he might already believe we're his enemies._

_In that case, _I say to all around me. _We're all going to have to make a choice here. I've already decided for myself but I need to know from all of you before you walk out that door. If the need arises do you have it in yourself to pull the trigger and kill someone? If we're in a combat situation I'm going to need to know who I can rely on to take steps. Ask yourselves that now. For instance, if the latest cyborg turns out to be a threat it will probably take a lot of us, if not all of us to stop him._

The silence is heavy now. I can only imagine what's going through everyone's heads. I remember the same feelings myself. The girl, 003, speaks, no louder than she needs to.

_It's the oldest dilemma in the history of man, _She says. _To weigh your own life and needs against that of another. I've heard things from down here, snaps of conversation between the soldiers. Quite a few of them are in the same situation as the doctor. But, actually, the frightening thing is, the vast majority of them are volunteers. It makes me sick to think of actually wanting to cause all this suffering and fear. Dr Gilmore, am I right in thinking that all that sympathise with us are in the same group as our informer Rémi? Vrai?_

_Yes, thankfully. _He says.

_In that case, _She concludes. _If it means going home and starting my life again I'm certainly willing to pull the trigger, but not to kill another person._

She turns slightly red; everyone is staring at her in disbelief. I can read people better than most, she's scared and trying her hardest not to show it. I only wish I could tell her not to fear but I don't think it'd work. We need to find these things for ourselves.

Strange, I find myself more afraid now than I have been in many years. It's probably because I've gotten used to working alongside real soldiers. I suppose I'm worried about my new comrades being thrown into the heat of combat with no prior experience. I don't want any more people being hurt than is really necessary.

_**You shouldn't worry about us all so much 008, **_I hear in my head. _**We know perfectly well what is ahead of us. Some more than others but still, have faith. We won't let you down.**_

I can't place it, but, hearing that is a real relief. How completely ridiculous that a child is quelling my fears at a time like this. The others murmur similar words and Gilmore sighs. I hope we all make it out of here.

_**Dr Gilmore, **_The infant says, in all of our heads. _**If you want to know, the best time for us to attempt our escape is right now.**_

The news hits like a bomb. No-one dares to speak. How can it be so?

_He's right, _003 says. _There's been an explosion in the main lab upstairs. I can, I can see the new subject. He's asleep._

_Well, that's it, _I say. _Here's the basic plan. If we come under attack 005, I want you to get out in front, you have the best defence. 004 and 006, you go behind him and be ready to attack when you get an opportunity. 002, 007, you be ready to finish off any enemies remaining after 005, 006 and 004 are done. 003, you take 001 and the two of you do as much as you can to make sure we know an enemy is here before he knows we are. I'll take the rear and be ready for any back attacks. Are we clear? Dr Gilmore, where can we meet you?_

The doctor pauses. We wait, knowing that every second we waste is a thousand missed chances.

_Try and meet up with 009 when he wakes up. _He says._ He's expected to come out of his sleep in two days time. If you can hold it till then I'll meet all nine of you back here at HQ. But, be warned, I might be playing as one of them for a while._

With that we know there is nothing more to say or do. This is our big gamble; I hope it pays off.

_We go, and it is done; the bell invites us. _007 says._ Hear it not, Dr Gilmore, for it is a knell that summons us to heaven or to hell._

We move for the door, silent, and ready.

_One last thing, _Gilmore blurts out. _I need to speak with 004 alone for a moment before you all go, I might not have another chance to say this…_

The doctor pulls 004 to the other corner of the room and mutters in his ear. In a moment 004's face turns dark and he clenches his fists. At the same time, right next to me, 003 puts her hands to her mouth and gasps. When 004 returns she puts a hand on his shoulder and speaks.

_004, _She says. _I'm so sorry._

_Why should you be sorry? _He asks her. Then, he turns to look at me. _008, about the question you asked before. I think I know now. I think I can kill someone else, now…_


	13. Chapter 13

Bridge 004 - breakout

_Listen, 004, _The Doctor says. _It's very important that you understand this. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you left here and died before you knew this…._

Knew what? I really don't have the time for this, old man. We're all about to leave, heading straight into the face of danger. What could be so important? The doctor is coming close to shaking. Is he that worried about my reaction? Before I can make any comment he simply blurts it out.

_When you arrived at this facility you were on the point of death. Unfortunately we couldn't get you to the operating table in time and, well… The thing is, you were dead for over an hour before your artificial heart began to take effect…_

He flinches, involuntarily; I've really made an impression on him. But, the news hits me like a blow in the stomach and within moments everything is out of perspective. I never believed in fate before, but, is it fate that I'm here? No, why should I start believing in fate now, just before facing death again.

I'm cut off from my thoughts by his voice again.

_There's a little more, _He says. _The, the wall, in Berlin, they, they knocked it down in 1989 and since then Germany has been one country again… And, I, we… never mind…_

He could be telling me the whole history of the world and I wouldn't notice. I would never have believed it. I should be overjoyed, but yet, the thought of Hilda comes back to my head. I can imagine her face, overjoyed at the news. We should have been there to see it together. But, the Black Ghost… No, I was the one that panicked at the wrong moment. They didn't have a hand there, as far as I know… But still, I'm here because of them. Here, against my will with others who had no hand in their fate. That is cause enough to fight.

The old man flinches as I walk past him; he's probably afraid I'll attack him. 003 puts her hand on my arm and offers some condolence. How could I forget she would hear? It isn't worth the time fearing the past. I'm going to leave this place for good now and no force on earth is going to stop me. I look to 008 and tell him I'm ready to do anything to get out.

_004, _003 says, slightly sharply. _I don't know what happened before but I can see that news meant a lot to you. Just remember, whatever happened before, you're alive now and… Just remember that before you put yourself at risk._

_I know, _I say back. _I'm just seeing things a little differently now. Let's go._

_Right, here's the plan for if we come under fire. _008 says. _005, you go first and try and take the worst of the fire, 004 and 006, you both attack once the soldiers have stopped firing. 002, I want you to try and get behind our enemies in combat, move as fast as you need to and attack from behind. 007, you and I will take charge of rear guard. 003, I want you to take 001 and try, between you, to give us as much warning as you can. But, stay in the middle of the group, it's safer there._

With that there is nothing more to say. Gilmore wishes us luck and promises everything he can from diversions to an all-out strike in the scientists. I hope for his sake he's trusted the right people. 005 knocks the door out and within moments we're all under fire. Bullets fly from every direction. I fire back. Within five minutes my arm is aching from the recoil and we haven't even gone out of sight of where we started. Men rush from behind and 008 has already run into their midst. _Mein gott_, that man knows how to fight. 008 joins him, slightly nervously and between them twenty men lie unconscious on the floor.

Before I can even catch my breath another squad of soldiers rush in, this time right into the path of 005. He moves to the left and rips a metal canister right form its hinges on the wall. He yells out to 006 and me and then I understand. It's a gas canister for the kitchens. 006 sends a spout of flame and it ignites. I send a hail of bullets behind it (my arm aching more and more) and it explodes over the heads of the soldiers. For a brief moment there is silence. 002 walks to the centre of the group.

_Save some for us guys, _He says. _I've been owing these bastards a kicking for too long!_

**But which way are we going? **006 asks through our com-link. **003? What can you see?**

**If we keep going down this corridor there should be an entrance to a hangar about six hundred metres along. **She says, her hand on her forehead. **Once we get into the hangar there should be a small passage to the docks. About halfway through the passage there's a concealed entrance to a network of caves. They're normally reserved for dire emergencies like nuclear war. They'll be the safest place to hide until we can meet with the doctor. Also, by the look of it they lead to just about every single section of this facility.**

**Then that's our best bet, **008 says. **Which hangar?**

**Hangar B-6, **she says back. **I'll give directions as we go.**

All of a sudden the entire place seems deathly quiet, it's rather unnerving. 003 begins to shake and she falls to her knees.

_**On the wall! **_001 yells in our heads. _**The resonators! They're broadcasting a signal to try and block out our radios and muffle the sound of their attacks! Destroy it!**_

Before any of us can even move 002 whips out his gun and destroys the small machines. If all they can manage so far is electrical toys and soldiers we might just make it out alive.

_**Don't get over confident, **_I hear in my head. _**They know the limits of our abilities; they're just saving the best for if it's really needed. That is why I suggest we wait for the new cyborg 009. I'm convinced he'll see our point. We wouldn't want him as an enemy.**_

**Why? **007 asks. **I mean, of course, a friend when you need one is better than any weapon in a time of war, but, he can't be that special.**

_**Frankly, **_001 says. _**He **__**is **__**the special weapon they've been saving until now. They've really outdone themselves on him. Trust me when I say this. **_

003 looks up suddenly and moments later a man shows himself in front of us holding what look like a sub machine gun.

_Don't even move cyborgs, _hesays. _If you all surrender now you might even be spared your…_

A shot is fired and he is cut off. He falls to the ground screaming and clutching his legs. I turn to see who fired and nearly fall down dead when I see 003, gun in one hand, 001 in the other and an impatient scowl on her face. She walks onwards and we all follow. 002 jogs over to her.

_I thought you hated killing. _He says, slightly satirically.

_I do, _she says. _But kneecaps, on the other hand, are another story. I'm not about to let some soldier get the better of me. _

Time passes, we move forwards at a crawl and more and more soldiers attack, only to get beaten back down. If I wasn't so determined to get out of here I would start worrying about the fact that my arm is starting to emit heat. The pain's getting worse too. At least the damned hangar is in sight now. I'm starting to become reckless too. I just want to rid of this place for good. We pause next to the hangar door.

_There's an ambush waiting for us on the other side of the door, _003 says. _There are about sixty men, heavily armed._

_**I'll give you all thirty seconds to get in there, **_the child explains. _**They will be temporarily disoriented, use the time wisely.**_

The child's eyes glow white and from the other side of the wall I can hear someone screaming. The scream is followed by a shrill laugh. We take it as our cue and the door flies from its hinges after an attack from 005.

All of a sudden I feel something lifting me from behind. I'm floating above the heads of the soldiers. In less than a moment I turn to see who is responsible. 002? Sheise, he gave me a fright.

_Heads up! _He says. _Here's a chance to attack from up here! But, get ready to land, you dig?_

What a plan. With a click my leg separates and two of the rockets fly out. It isn't too painful when I'm not leaning my weight on the leg either. The rockets hit the men dead centre and I land (slightly clumsily) in the middle of them to finish them off. The others finish off the stragglers and I take two seconds to realise just how much pain I'm in.

Once all the men are all defeated and we are all together again 003 walks over to a blank wall and runs her hand down it. After about fifty seconds of searching she smiles to herself and presses the wall inward. A small panel opens a few feet away with a keyboard. She walks over to the keyboard and types a few words.

_001? _she says.

_**Kosmetas. **_The child replies.

She inserts the word into the keyboard and a door opens in front of her. 002 raises his eyebrows.

_Password, _she explains. _Come on, we're nearly there. _

We file in, wary of the fact that we may be locking ourselves into a dead end. 003 is just ahead and as soon as we are all inside the door slams shut, filling the tunnel with darkness. From somewhere ahead I can hear 003's voice.

_Put your hand on the wall to the left, that way you'll know when to take the turning. _She says. _We're nearly there. 001? How long would you reckon before our 009 is awake?_

_**About five or six hours, I can speed it up to two hours with my telepathy but I'll also have to draw him over to us. **_He explains. _**I hope I can count on each of you to help protect him until he's ready to fight for himself.**_

We all silently agree. For what feels like days we move silently through a pitch black labyrinth of damp caves. I can only hope it was worth all the effort to get 009. Only time will tell now…

_**TO BE CONTINUED**_

Mein Gott - my god, in german


	14. Chapter 14

_**Author note: Hi all!! Remember me? Listen, I'm really, really sorry about the delay with this update. I wish there was a good excuse but there isn't; I just couldn't write for months and then everything started happening at once. I moved house having only had a week's notice though. The new place is nice. Funnily enough, I was procrastinating about this chapter for months and then I got it done in a single weekend. And, it's over three times longer than the last chapter. It's got nearly 6000 words (FYI, my dissertation for advanced english last year was only 5000 words and it took me three weeks) and there's still another chapter and an epilogue before I can call it a day on this fic. Speaking thusly, at some point I'll be writing a partner fic for my brother's Fullmetal Alchemist fic 'The conqueror of Ultima Thule'. It's a pretty decent read, even if it takes a while to get into. so, if anyone wants to get ahead with the reading my brother's profile is favourited on my profile. His alias is Kung-Fuud. See you next chapter!! (And sorry again!!!)**_

__

_**CHAPTER 009 - the awakening**_

The waves are quiet now, their rhythm reduced to nothing but a heartbeat in my mind. The world in front of my eyes is dark, cold and hostile. There is nothing actually there, but the same feeling persists, the same feeling a child gets when looking into a dark room. Logic has no place here; there is only instinct. Where I am, why I am here and what will happen seem of little value now; I am simply here, waiting to understand.

_**Wake up…**_

I fall through the blackness, unsure of where I began and oblivious of where it will all end. I am nothing now; another part of the black, a small piece of eternity. For the first time I see my life in perspective: I am nothing in the scale of the universe. Less than a single grain of sand in a vast desert, a drop of water in the ocean. My struggles, my dreams, my life; what will they amount to in the end? When I die, everything will wash away in the tides of time and all that people knew of me will be reduced to words and dust.

_**Wake up…**_

The darkness is receding. Before, it was so prominent I could practically touch it; now, there is something else forcing its way in. The world is stirring, as if waking from a long sleep. In the black things almost seem to move of their own accord. Something is changing, it has awoken. In the fading dark I hear the voices of others around me, urging me out of the dark, telling me to go. Wake up, they say. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up…

_**Wake up!**_

Bright light hits my eyes, stabbing through my eyelids, dazzling me. A cruel white light shines from above. As soon as I move the pain hits me like a wave. For a brief moment it becomes too much and I recoil, unable to move. The pain passes and I stand, suddenly aware of my surroundings. A clutter of machines litter the walls, a small door hides amongst them and above my head there is a glass ceiling. A man stands just within eyesight; as soon as I see him he runs off.

_Where am I? _I ask myself, looking around with growing fear. _How did I get here?_

_**Don't be afraid, **_I hear. _**It's going to be alright.**_

What? Who was that? Where are they? Damn you, speak!

_**I am 001, **_The voice says. Kami-Sama, is that a child's voice? _**I'm not really 'talking' in the strictest sense of the word; I'm communicating directly to your mind with Telepathy. You don't have time to hear the answers right now; they know you're awake. Get out of there while you still can!**_

_What the hell? Telepathy? Is this some sort of joke?! _I yell at the air. _You aren't fooling me!_

All of a sudden the door slams shut with a deafening crash. As strange steam forms on the panels of the machines.

_**Get out of there! They're flooding the room with gas! Jump up, through the roof!**_

This can't be real! I'll never make it up there! But yet, all of a sudden I feel slower, and heavier. Everything begins to blur and the thought of just lying down and sleeping seems so tempting.

_**JUMP!**_

Without even stopping to worry about the consequences I leap; there is barely enough time to shield my face before I hit the ceiling and smash right through it, landing sprawled on the floor, sixteen feet above where I was before. What the hell? There's no way I could have managed that naturally… Before I can even pick myself up rough hands grab me and I end up on the floor ten feet over.

**Attention, you do not have clearance to be on this level. Depart to appropriate area immediately or we will use deadly force.**

Robots? What kind of place is this? One of them steps forward, ready to strike. I stand, looking around desperately for a means of escape, my heart thumping in my throat. Everything slows down, in my head; it lunges forward, I duck out of the way and, compelled by some primeval instinct, I strike. The machine shatters like glass. Without even thinking I turn on the rest, hands shaking and mind racing. There is no time for thought here; everything unfolds in front of my eyes as if it were being shown on a screen and my hands and feet move of their own accord.

_Don't you dare even touch me!! _I yell, my vision blurring with rage.

The machines lie in pieces in front of me. I shake with rage and fear. At least it's over now; what a nightmare.

_**I wish I could tell you that you're right, **_The voice says. _**But, it's not over. I'm sorry to say this, but, this has only just begun. The test is about to commence. You don't have long before the attack begins.**_

What?! Test? Attack? Kami-Sama!! What kind of a test is this?

At that very moment the wall right in front of me smashes open, sending rubble and dust all through the room. Out in the open air, beyond the wall, there stands a metallic monster. It stands at least four times taller than me and I've never seen anything like it before. All of the energy I felt before vanishes in a flash and I can't even move for shock. It moves, poised to strike but even now I'm paralysed with fear.

_**Joe, just move!!!**_

Without even thinking I roll out of the way, and not a moment too soon either. The machine's fist hits the ground with a booming crash and a three-foot crater marks the spot where I was only a moment before.

_**Listen, I hate to tell you this, but this is no time for fear and doubt. **_The voice says. _**You have the power to defeat that monster. Just do what you did before and try not to question it for now. You will get answers.**_

Dammit, this 001 kid is right. I have no choice now. The machine raises its fist and without a moment's hesitation I leap forward and meet the thing head on. Jesus, all of this feels so natural. The great monster falls to pieces in the wake of my attack and in far too short a time I am standing out in the fresh air with the wind slowly calming my racing heart. Where in the hell am I? It doesn't matter for now.

_Ok, 001, _I say, to the wind and the rocks in the distance. _I think you've got some explaining to do. I want answers._

_**I'm sorry, **_The voice says. _**But I can't tell you yet. If we can meet face-to-face I'll give you your answers.**_

_What?! You're out of your mind! If I see you you're gonna end up with a broken nose, if you're lucky._

_**I don't think you'll want to do that, **_The voice says, calmly. _**Anyway, we can sort that out when you get here. If you follow my instructions we can rendezvous and get out of this place, Deal?**_

_Ok, fine, deal. Where am I going?_

_**Head directly forwards to the outcrop of rocks you see. Stay under cover wherever possible and try to avoid people and buildings at all costs. Oh, and you don't need to speak out loud, I'll hear you anyway. Keep quiet or they'll detect you. Best of luck.**_

Little bastard. He's pushing his luck. It'll take me at least two hours to reach those rocks. If this is another stupid test I'm really gonna lose it.

The sun bears down mercilessly on my face as I walk. The building I was in before slowly shrinks in the distance, but, even so the outcrop doesn't seem any closer. No-one seems to notice me as I go and an eerie silence hangs over my head. There are no birds or animals here. This just isn't natural. But, at least it gives me time to think this over. I'm seriously in the dark, with all things considered. The last thing I remember before waking up here was the van crashing, and the feeling of blood running down my head. A check of my head shows no blood, or even any sign of damage. And now, here I am, in the middle of nowhere, listening to the instructions of a voice in my head with this unbelievable strength and speed. And, these unbelievable clothes too. What the hell? If this is some bastard's idea of a joke he's really going to pay for this. Or worse, if this **isn't **a joke and some serious shit is going on here. I don't even know which would be worse. Crap, those damn rocks still don't look any closer.

**Wait!! Don't take another step forward, for the love of god!! **

This voice in my head is different from the first one; shrill and distinctly feminine with a definite accent. It takes me by surprise and I move forward in spite of myself. From underneath my foot something clicks. Shit. The mine beneath my feet explodes with a dull noise and the force knocks me into the air, landing spread-eagled and sore on the ground twenty-feet away. Surprisingly enough, apart from a few bruises I'm unhurt and after only a moment's pause I'm on my feet again.

_**Sorry, you're luck just ran out, **_The first voice says. _**I've been misdirecting them up till now but they've spotted you. You're going to have to run unless you want all of their firepower concentrated on you at once. Run, now!**_

Damn it!! With no other thought in my head but the rocks ahead of me I begin to run, at full pelt, not even daring to check if I'm being followed. I feel so light, almost weightless as I run on. Before a minute has passed the sound of gunfire reaches my ears. I feel a great force hitting me in the back, knocking me to the ground. Jesus, they've opened fire. There's no time to stop, even now. I leap to my feet and keep running, in a complete panic now. All of a sudden they're all around me, soldiers, tanks, robots and god-knows-what-else. They're all poised to fire. Shit.

_**Hit the switch on your back tooth, quickly before they open fire. **_

What the hell?

_**Press it!**_

The sound of gunfire erupts in my ears, I clench my eyes and teeth, the switch flips with a click and all of a sudden everything feels different. I open my eyes, in great fear. The soldiers around me have frozen and the bullets have stopped right next to me. A shell from one of the tanks has stopped only inches from my chest. What in the name of god is this?

_**This is your accelerator. It allows you to move at fast enough speeds that the time around you becomes distorted. Anyway, it hasn't stopped, it's only slowed. Get out of there as fast as you can and disengage from the acceleration as soon as possible. At this stage the acceleration won't last for long. **_

This is the most bizarre thing I've ever seen. As I climb over the tanks and sidle past the soldiers they remain still, like wax statues. It feels like it has taken hours to get past them but now that I am I break into a run again, still in this acceleration. But, as I go on, I begin to feel dizzy, and disoriented. My vision begins to blur and fog but I'm far too frightened to stop.

By the time I realise my mistake it's too late. The world blackens before my eyes and I feel myself falling. All of a sudden I feel the rush of cold water all about me. Just lie before… I begin to panic, thrashing and kicking in a desperate struggle to find the surface. I don't have long before I run out of air. I don't want it to end this way…

**Don't panic, just breathe out and let this happen, **A third voice says. **You'll know what to do!! It'll be fine.**

I don't even think of questioning it this time. I let the last of my precious air out and wait. I don't even know how, but, I can feel cool air returning to my lungs and slowly my vision returns. Kami-Sama, this water is deeper than I imagined and from down here I can see planes and helicopters flying over the surface.

_**There's only one way for us to do this now, **_the first voice says. _**You're going to have to swim to the surface and let us take care of this. Bear with us for now.**_

I hope you know what you're doing. You're not the one who just avoided getting blown to pieces by a damn tank!

Swimming from down here is a lot easier than I remembered from my childhood lessons in the local pool, but yet, after all of this nothing is surprising to me anymore. I swim to the surface and almost immediately I am spotted by the aircraft above. Then, another sound reaches my ears, a roaring sound and whatever it is its getting closer. A voice reaches my ears.

_Coming through! _The voice yells. _Outta the way you Black-Ghost sons of bitches!!!_

Something collides with me in the water and before I can even catch my breath I see the ground, eighty feet below me. What in the hell?!

_Jesus man, _A voice says from above me. _If you were any slower I coulda walked to come and get you. What's the damn hold-up? You leave your wallet behind or something?_

The guy holding me by the shoulders and flying through the air has to be about my age. He speaks with an unmistakable American accent and has red hair. It takes me a moment or two to find the right words.

_Are, are you the one who's been guiding me here? Are you 001?_

He snorts.

_If only, _he says. _I'm 002. Let me guess, the little guy's been messing with your head? He just sorta does that, he seems to like it._

Then, behind us in the air another of the jet aircraft approaches. They've caught up with us. The flying guy, 002, swears and we begin to move faster. The aircraft behind us speeds up and 002 swears again. We begin to take more complicated manoeuvres through the air and the plane simply keeps directly behind us. Everything begins to spin and sway around me.

_Shit! We got company, _002 yells. _Any chance of a little covering fire from you guys?_

**You're almost in range, **A voice says in our heads. **Just get the bastard close enough. Happy landings.**

After a tense moment 002 makes a very sudden dive, directly downwards and we meet the rocket midway down. Above our heads the rocket and the jet plane collide. The explosion is massive and my ears begin to ring, even from fifty feet below. We hit the ground, 002 lands on his feet but I'm nowhere near as lucky, unfortunately. I stumble, trip over my own feet and fall headlong into someone. The someone catches me before I collapse. Then, I see that the someone is about seven feet tall and could probably break my neck with one hand.

_Are you hurt? _The someone asks.

_N, no. _I manage to stutter out. I feel like I could collapse with exhaustion.

_**I'm glad you made it to us in one piece, **_The voice says. _**If you'll let me make introductions I'll see if I can explain things for you afterwards. I, as you know, am 001. If you look to your left you'll see me in 003's arms.**_

What the hell, a baby? This can't be right.

_**I'm afraid it is. Anyway, you've already met 002, he was kind enough to go and pick you up. This young woman here is 003 and just to your left there is 004...**_

And so it goes on, each of the other eight in the group are introduced and they seem to be fair enough. They are all dressed in the same type of clothes as I am and they all look like they've been through hell. It turns out it was the girl, 003, that warned me about the landmine. The black guy, 008 helped me in the water and the grey-haired 004 fired the rocket. The others all seem to be a bit suspicious of me and they keep snatching glances at me from behind my back.

_What's the problem,_ I ask, already feeling rather defensive. _You guys have a problem?_

_Don't read into it too much, _the girl, 003, says. _You see, the last part of your test was for you to fight all of us and I guess we're all rather worried that your might suddenly decide to finish things up. _

I glance over at her. She has blonde hair and very peculiar eyes. They don't look quite real, almost like doll's eyes. She holds little 001 in her arms as if he was her own and looks slightly ill.

_We've come a long way to get here, _The grey-haired guy says. _We've been staring death in the face for what feels like forever and we definitely don't want to lose now._

_I won't fight you, _I say, realising that I mean it. _But, I would like to know what the hell is going on here and why everything in this place seems dead-set on killing me._

_**Ok, but, I'll explain everything while we're moving. We're far too exposed out here and I think we'd all like to get off of this island as soon as we can. Which way are we going 003?**_

_Due south, _The girl says. _If we keep going for about three and a half kilometres we'll come across a concealed entrance to the central complex. It should be empty since it's strictly for emergencies. We can make our way to the hangar and find a transport from there…_

Thus the nine of us begin to walk, with the tall guy and the grey-haired guy in front and the girl and I in the middle with the black guy and the bald guy on either side of us. The short guy and the red-head, 002 bring up the rear. As we walk, in supposed silence, 001 begins his story.

_**This all began quite a while back. It's been proven that the creation and selling of weapons can lead to vast amounts of money and power in times of war. Which**__**has led, more or less to the creation of the Black Ghost. The Black Ghost is a large-scale merchant of death with only one thing on their agenda: war. Their presence is unknown to the world but their grasp extends over the entire world. Their normal strategy is to produce top-of-the-line new weapons, use them to instigate war and then to sell their weapons to the warring countries, thus creating an arms race and mass suspicion; leading to more war and more weapons in a vicious circle. Unfortunately for the rest of the world this has proven to be immensely effective. The nine of us are simply the next stage in the arms race. We are experimental subjects for their new cyborg army project. Prototypes for testing before they move on to mass production. To them, we represent the creation of a potentially limitless army that can go anywhere, solve any problem and can think enough for ourselves. As you can probably imagine, the idea of being living weapons doesn't really suit us, so we've rebelled against the Black Ghost and we hope to escape before they can use us and the data they've obtained from studying us.**_

_Bloody hell, _The bald guy, 007, says. _You make it sound so dramatic! You should think of taking up a career as a playwright with that kind of vocabulary on your side…_

_**Anyway, **_The little one says, regardless of the interruption. _**Like you we were all taken away from our lives and**__**our homes by the operatives of Black Ghost without choice or prior knowledge and turned into cyborgs. Sadly, most of us don't even come close to the kind of power you have the potential for. They used all the relevant data from the eight of us for your enhancements. That means they won't give you up without a fight and they will probably have any number of ways to stop us from leaving. If we all work together we can get out safely.**_

I'm speechless, there's nothing left to be said. The others seem to get the message and leave me to my thoughts as we all walk on. We move forward in silence, all deep in our thoughts. The very thought of just how much there is to take in is overwhelming. All of this is too much and I feel like I could go mad just thinking it all over.

The silence is only occasionally broken by the girl, 003, who mentions when there's a land-mine or a platoon of soldiers to be avoided. It seems to be an ability only she has. It begins to make me wonder just what each of the others can do. I will probably find out in due time. But, if what 001 said is true, and I'm the next stage in this cyborg project, what kind of power do I have?

The landscape around us begins to change, the rocks become larger and closer together. The number of land-mines nearby becomes greater and we only avoid detection by some miracle. Even so, my nerves are shot, my feet and hands are aching from the fight, my ears are still ringing from the explosion and I'm even beginning to feel hungry. The prospect of food makes me feel even worse and I begin to wonder when I'll next eat.

By the time we stop everyone in the group is looking a little forlorn. The girl points out a small black box, half hidden under a group of rocks. Must be the way in.

_**It needs a voice-key and the eight-digit password to open,**_The child says. _**007, if you would be so kind, I'll get the password worked out.**_

The bald guy, 007 pauses for a moment, and then the image of his face distorts in front of my eyes. An old man's face is there now and he speaks as 003 taps the password into the key-pad on the box.

_Dr Julius Browne, _007 says, in an old man's voice. _Head of chemical research, security clearance gamma._

The box beeps twice and the ground begins to rumble. On the other side of the rocks from the box a hole has opened up. The others begin to climb down and into the darkness below. Only 008 and I remain. He beckons to me.

_Listen, _He says. _Despite what 001 said I don't want you to push yourself too hard when we get in there. For now just hang back. If you push yourself too hard too early you might not recover. The rest of us can pick up the slack. Until you have enough confidence you need only worry about staying alive unless your need is dire. Ok?_

I nod, not trusting my voice. I don't honestly think I could manage any more fighting yet. 008 hops down into the dark and I follow.

In the dark some sort of commotion is going on, it takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dark but something is wrong. 008 yells out; the others are in trouble and by the sound of it he fell into the trap too. It will only be a matter of seconds before I get noticed too.

_Get behind it! _004 yells. _There's a gun down there; shoot the damn thing!_

This time the acceleration takes a moment to kick in, then the world slows to a crawl once more and it becomes all too easy to get past the machine. From what I can see it's another large robot, holding the others. A sudden rush of adrenaline begins to surge through me, clearing my head of any doubt and fear, bringing in only the deepest instinct to fight. I won't fade out that easily. These bastards can't just expect me to lay down my life for their stupid cause; nothing will stop me from being free. I'll get out of here, even if it takes me right to my last breath.

The gun feels all too natural in my hand. I don't even need to aim before I fire. The machine breaks up and the others fall free. So much for the hanging-back strategy; I can't even remember the last time I felt so alive, or when I had this much control over my life.

The others pick themselves up, mutter things that could be words of thanks or simply complaints. I couldn't care less. I just want to get out of here already.

_Nice shot. _The grey-haired 004 says.

As we all move on the tunnel becomes narrower and it begins to slope downwards. Water sloshes around our legs and the air becomes closer. After what feels like hours the water is at waist depth, the air is so close I can barely breathe and we are standing at the base of a door. After a shot is fired the small security camera is in pieces and sinking into the water. 004's abilities involve a gun in his left hand. He swears and complains about recoil as the tall guy, 005 approaches the door in front of us.

_Hang on a minute me old china plate, _The bald guy, 007 says. _There's probably an alarm attached to that door. This requires a covert operation and a certain degree of stealth, allow me._

Again, he concentrates and begins to metamorphose. He shrinks like in a rewound film and his form changes to a small mouse. Surprisingly enough the mouse speaks in his voice, even if it's somewhat quieter.

_Never gets any bloody easier, if you'd Adam-and Eve it. _He says. _I'll meet you lot as soon as possible. Best of luck._

The 007-mouse disappears through a crack in the wall and after a slightly awkward minute the door above us creaks open. After all this time down in the tunnels the bright lights are painfully dazzling and for a brief moment I'm back in the room I awoke in, with all of the world ready to strike at me, through no fault of my own. I need to get out of here, and fast.

The corridors are all empty as we move on; there aren't even any closed doors or guards. I'm already beginning to worry about this and by the look of this so are the others. After everything they've thrown at us so far you'd think they would at least have a few dozen battalions of troops ready to mount an attack. But no, the complex is silent. Once or twice I become sure that I can hear people moving about, just out of sight and right behind us. If the 003 girl has seen anything she would surely have said something about it by now. All of this feels just too good to be true.

_The hangar is just ahead, _004 says. _I'll bet any amount of money they're waiting for us in there…_

Suddenly, the door behind us slams shut, followed almost immediately by the one ahead of us. The room is sealed with us all in it; rats in a trap. We should have seen this coming.

_Don't even bother trying to get out of this one, _A voice says from above us. _The chamber you're all in was designed specifically for this purpose. We know just how strong you all are; that chamber is simply one step higher._

The lights snap on from high above; there are three men and two women staring down at us from the glass ceiling. None of them look anything under fifty years old and they don't look friendly. The man who spoke to us is a rat-faced old man with a vile grin spread over his face like a scar. The woman next to him looks like an extra from a cheap Sci-Fi horror movie and has to be in her mid-fifties; despite that she dresses as if she were in her twenties. Another old man, shorter than the rest speaks to us, sounding completely emotionless and detached.

_You all have no right to do this, _He says. _Return to your cells immediately so that we can finish the testing._

_Jien tah-duh guay, _The short 006 says. _QU SI!!!_

_What in the world makes you think we would listen to you? _003 yells out. _You mean to kill us!_

_It's true that some projects have proven more useful than others, _The old woman replies. _And, the subjects with no further use will be subject to termination, but, who are you complain? You've been given god-like gifts for nothing at all and you throw it back in our faces! You're all nothing but petulant children!_

_No-one in their right mind would call being captured, mutilated and tortured a gift! _008 yells. _You bastards turned us into weapons!_

_I've heard enough of this nonsense, _The first man says. _This is your last chance; return to your cells or we will make you!_

_Well, if that's the case, I'd like to see you bloody make us! _007 says from behind the scientists. _Deus ex bloody machina you bastards!_

007, by the looks of things, has raided the armoury and is armed to the teeth. He has a rather threatening Uzi sub-machine gun pointed directly at the shorter scientist and he looks like he means business.

_And now, ladies and gentlemen, the dress-rehearsal is over and it's high time the show started, _He says. Has he been rehearsing that? _This will go a lot easier of you all cooperate. Dr Gilmore, you, are coming with us, as a guarantee of a safe exit. Move it, I'd hate to kill you. Not out of any lasting love of your character but simply because 004's been absolutely itching to riddle you with bullets for quite a while now; I'd hate to deprive him of that pleasure. _

Dr Gilmore sighs deeply and moves forwards seemingly shaking with rage. 007 grabs his arm and directs the Doctor, rather roughly, over to the control panel on the door's mechanism. Dr Gilmore begins protesting for a moment but 007 re-directs his attention to the sub-machine gun in his hand. The Doctor taps in a key code and the door in front of us opens once more. Surely enough, while the door was closed the entire hangar has filled to the brim with soldiers. They all look vaguely shocked that Dr Gilmore is amongst us and look rather lost without instructions.

_Whatever you do don't fire! _Dr Gilmore says, his voice wavering. _The cyborgs have learned the self-destruct code for the base! They'll blow this whole place to hell and I'm the only one who can stop them! For the love of god, stay back!!_

Slowly, warily, we back towards one of the aircraft, weapons at the ready. My heart is beating so loud, they must be able to hear it. We're so close now, but anything could happen now. I feel like I'm about to throw up. 004 and 008 board the plane first, heading for the cockpit. Then 005, 006, 007 and 002 follow with the Doctor. The girl 003, 001 and I remain. I hesitate. From behind me the voices of the scientists reach my ears.

_Don't go with them, boy! _One of them screams at me. _You could defeat all of them without even trying! Remember how good it felt to destroy those other machines? That lot are no different from the robots you destroyed only hours ago! If you follow them you'll end up dead! Stay here, and let us make you the best ever!_

_**Don't listen to them! **_001 says. _**They don't know you and they'll say anything to make you stay!**_

_Stay with us, _003 says. _I don't know who you were before, but, I know enough about you already to say this: you don't want to go back there! You don't want to be their weapon! _

She's right. As the curses and false promises behind me grow in volume and echo through the hall I step forwards, towards fate, away from fear and into the future. 003 smiles for the first time and we board together.

_**I'm happy you came with us, 009. **_001 says.

009? I suppose I am.

_You're one of us now. _002 says.

_**The future ahead of us is ominous, **_001 says. _**If we make the wrong moves now everything we fought for today will have been in vain. If we all stick together, as a team we can ride through the storm ahead and break free of the Black Ghost. **_

_They certainly won't let us go that easily. _008 says.

If that's the case, I'm all up for it. There's no way in hell we're going back there. They will have to send everything they've got and more to bring us back alive. We'll be ready.

_**To Be Continued**_

_**TRANSLATIONS**_

**Kami-Sama **- Japanese - god (not a literal translation (It has more of a root in the Shinto religion FYI) but from what I've learned Japanese people use it when referring to the Christian god and since Joe-Chan was raised by a priest it seems right.)

**me old china plate** - cockney (London) slang, slightly old-fashioned, it's a bit of a joke. It's a rhyme for 'my old mate'. So, basically 007 is calling 005 his mate, a half-reference to my grandparents, who grew up in London.

**if you'd Adam-and Eve it** - same as the 'china plate' thing. It means "if you'd believe it". N.B. the other bit of cockney slang I picked up it replacing the word 'stairs' with 'apples and pairs'. It would have been all Shakespeare quotes for 007 but my internet was down while I was writing this and I couldn't find my big Shakespeare book. L. More Shakespeare next chapter.

**Jien tah-duh guay**, - Chinese - Like Hell! (I got this from a semi-reliable source and I'm sorry if it's wrong!)

**QU SI**!!! - Chinese - Go and die! (From a more reliable source this time! Thank yooooou!!)


	15. Chapter 15

**Author note: **I know, I said I'd update sooner, but, yeah, I actually got a job. (Even if it was a short stint volunteering in a charity for a wage that would have been illegal otherwise teaching high-school drop-outs to cook for themselves and speak languages.) But, the placement is over and my plan is to update more. No, really. Here is Joe's second chapter; as good as I can get it. I can't remember where, but, I read that Dr Gilmore was Russian, anyone else remember reading that? Maybe I really am losing my mind… You might notice, people start to swear in this chapter, in English. Just an advanced warning… See you in the epilogue and sorry again for all the neglect…

_**Chapter 10 - choice**_

For the first time, since before I can easily remember, I understand the world. I feel a heightened sense of perspective dawning on me and my senses are almost on fire. Compared to how I was two weeks ago I am an entire world away today. Since I awoke less than a day ago I have found myself to be an entirely new person in a world I should never have gotten into and from the look of everything things are about to get a whole lot worse before they start to get better. Some people would call this fate if they believed in it; others would say divine retribution, considering my past. Personally, I would label this as a cosmic mistake, or, if I am really lucky, a dream…

We arrived in this cave the best part of three hours ago, after a slightly impromptu landing. About mid-flight a squad of Black Ghost aircraft appeared and before we even had time to plan our defence they were on us. Apparently the option of killing us is no longer a last resort. Most of the others ran off to act as cover while 008 guided the plane down. That left Dr Gilmore, 003, 001 and I standing in the plane, feeling more than a little useless (myself especially) whilst a dogfight erupted in the air around us. The plane took any number of hits before we landed and now it is damaged beyond repair. Now we are here, stuck in the cold and the damp with no food, no real plan and a small fire on the brink of going out. Time is ticking and with every minute we stay here they get closer. The Black Ghost has factories and hangars and god-knows-what on each of the islands in the area. There could be a thousand battalions landing directly above our heads this very second and we couldn't know it. I still find it slightly hard to believe that the girl will see them coming…

_Now go we in content to liberty, and not to banishment! _One of the others says. _But, of course, if you had been any worse of an actor, Doctor, we would have had to __**pay**__ each and every one of those drones in that hangar to applaud that little performance of yours._

The atmosphere in the cave is strange; outwardly everyone around me is relieved and calm but just below the surface there is still an undeniable current of fear. No-one dares say it, but, we're all thinking the same thing; this isn't over. There's no way that they would just let us leave without a fight. The bald Englishman 007 seems intent on lightening the mood, to little effect. He looks over at the Doctor, winks and puts on a pseudo-Russian accent that, presumably is meant to sound like him.

_Whatever you do don__'__t fire! The cyborgs have learned the self-destruct code for the base! They__'__ll blow this whole place to hell and I__'__m the only one who can stop them! Oh no; we're all going to die by bad acting! Gods almighty save us!_

The mood lifts, if only for a little while. A few of the others even manage to smile. The doctor sighs, and speaks.

_In all fairness 007, I couldn't have been __**that**__ bad, _He says. _Of course, we're not all blessed with as many talents as you; but still, I was rather pleased by that little speech. Anyway, the vast majority of those soldiers were completely mechanical anyway; they wouldn't be able to tell the difference._

The doctor smiles and sits down, warming his hands on the fire. So, does that mean he's on our side now? It would have been nice to know that earlier.

_**Don't take it to heart 009,**_ 001 says, in my head. _**We didn't mean any offence; it's just hard to know who we can trust by sight alone. We didn't know if you were going to stick with us.**_

_Actually, 001, _The Doctor says. _How long do you have? You know what I mean…_

There is a pause. Everyone seems to be listening in now.

_**Four days, **_The infant says. _**Five if I really push myself but, that might not work out too well.**_

_Right, _008 says, from the other side of the fire. _So, five days tops to execute the next phase of the plan._

_Excuse me? _The red-headed 002 says. _Last time I checked the plan was just to get the hell out of there, what else could we possibly need?_

Silence falls. 002 crosses his arms and stands up.

_Could you all just lighten the hell up for a damn minute! _He says, annoyed. _I'm deadly serious! What else could we possibly have to do?! We're all alive, we're out of that damn place and they don't know where we are. You must see that…_

008, the man I met in the water, sighs with exasperation.

_Do you really think that they'll just stop looking for us just because we slipped under the radar? _008 says. _We represent a huge investment to them; they don't care whether we want to stay or not…_

_Besides,_ The tall man, 005 says. _If we walk away now the fact that we escaped will be worth nothing. If we leave them be they will make more like us and send them after us. They will keep going until either they have us or we die. They will destroy everything in their path if they see the need._

002 snorts and turns to face 005.

_I don't see how that's my problem, _002 says. _I'm fast enough; they won't get to me._

Again, the cave is silent. The thin veil of calm and relief has torn; the truth has been exposed and there is no real way to avoid it now.

_How can you be so selfish? _004 says, coldly.

_I ain't selfish! _002 says. _You can all go on about teamwork and sticking together until kingdom come if you want; but, at the end of the day it's every man for himself! It's human fucking nature! Anyway, as strong as we think we are, they are stronger! If we get within a mile of that place they'll be on us before we can even blink! Then what, another fight to lose? 004, 003, 001; you all remember what happened last time, right? We aren't the ones to fight this battle…_

_He has a point, _The girl, 003 says. _You all seem determined that it be us that take on the Black Ghost. Why is that? I mean, there has to be someone back in the civilised world that is better suited to tackling the problem. I mean, look at us… We may have power, but, we barely know anything about ourselves and even less about each other. Teamwork is based on trust and none of us have even disclosed our names. Mon dieu, il n'ya pas d'un espoir pour nous. _

There are murmurs of agreement from around the fire. The girl has a point… But, is this it? From the little I know of these people I find it hard to believe that they would be so easily disenchanted, it feels wrong. All this power that we have between us and none of us seem to have the drive to use it. In spite of myself I stand, my heart racing.

_Listen, _I say, as I will my voice not to tremble. _I don't fully know what happened before, nor do I know just how much Black Ghost is willing to throw at us to get us back. But, I do know this, we're all scared, and we're all angry but, that's no reason to give in. If anything that gives us all a common ground to work from! This organisation, Black Ghost, they took from us all, and, well, perhaps its time we take a hand in our own destinies. We hit back, just enough to stop them coming after us…_

There are murmurs of agreement from the others. The short guy, 006 stands up and speaks.

_You all seem to be forgetting one thing, _006 says, calmly. _We're on an island, bai chi, in the middle of the ocean and our only form of transport has been completely annihilated!! I may be fireproof but I'm a lousy swimmer. Plus, we don't even know where this island is or how far we are from land… If you ask me, we have no choice but to go and pay those bastards a visit; even if we don't stay long. I'm betting we can find another transport like the one we just lost, if not a better one…_

He has a point, no doubt about it. Either we do or we die. They'll find us sooner or later… But, still, doubt clouds my mind. Part of me still keeps expecting the worst. What if my strength fades? What if there are too many of them? What if there is no transport on this island? What if? What if?

_I don't know if I can do this,_ I say, all the strength I summoned gone. _I mean, I don't even know what I can do yet. What if I lose control? What then?_

How could I even think I could take all this on? I must be delirious, or maybe just I shock. I'm not thinking straight. I can't even stand up anymore. The slow realisation of just how much I have lost sinks in as I sink to my knees.

_**You don't need to worry 009, **_I hear, in my head. _**I know you'll pull through this; you just need to stay focused. We all have enough ability to break out of this.**_

_He's right, you know, _007 sa_ys, dramatically. I believe a certain Mr Shakespeare said it best in The Twelfth Night. "__Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and  
some have greatness thrust upon 'em…". We're just unlucky enough to be in the latter category… Come on, my fellows; let's go and show these bastards what we're made of!_

_And that will be sooner than you think, monsieur balle-tête… _003 says. _They're on their way…_

Silence falls like a sudden rainfall. No-one dares to speak for a minute or two. Then, finally the silence breaks.

_How many are there? _008 asks.

_Fifty battalions, six warships, twenty planes and at least six hundred robot soldiers. _She says. _They'll be on this island within ninety minutes and according to their radios they're all on strict orders to shoot first and ask questions later._ _The facility above us has just received a warning and are tightening security as we speak. Mais, as fate would have it, there's a hangar on this island. Mon dieu…_

_Sheisse, _004 says. _Well, we all knew this wasn't going to be easy anyway._

That's it then? Kami-sama, I don't want this. But, the only way to get out is to face the danger. We stand, almost in unison, none of us daring to talk. This is unlike anything I have ever seen or done before and with every minute I am here it feels less real and more like a nightmare.

_Right, _The Doctor says, _we all knew this would happen. But, if I can get your attention for one moment. Listen; if we are careful and split up into groups we can avoid them detecting us. Also, if we time our escape just right we can avoid all the soldiers that are heading this way; I have some allies on the inside that helped instigate this little rebellion. If we can contact these men they can get things ready on the inside so that when we get there we can all simply leave with as few losses as possible. Give me two minutes to contact them…_

With that the Doctor walks off to a far corner of the cave, leaving the nine of us to ponder the storm that could erupt onto us at any minute. The silence is deafening and I can feel my stomach churning with every second that I wait.

_Mein gott, _004 says. _We're all really lucky or really stupid to have to trust that man. Think about it, how do we know that he isn't just letting the soldiers above us know that we're about to come out of this cave?_

_You're just being paranoid… _003 says, slightly unsurely.

_And you aren't thinking this through fraulein, _004 says. _Think about it: we're about to march right into the middle of their stronghold, which is full of their soldiers and just have to rely on people that we've never seen or met. _

He has a point, but, what choice do we have anyway?

_You __**do**__ have a point 004, _005 says, sagely. _But, as soon as you fail to trust one person you start losing your trust of everything and everyone._

_It's always a tough one to judge, _008 says. _But, for now we don't really have a choice either way. If you all want my opinion, I say we do as we did before. We should stick to the plan for now but keep our eyes open. I hesitate to bring this up, but, now is the time to decide if we're all up to this. If anyone thinks they can't do this now is the time to say so; you can wait here until the coast is clear. Because, as soon as we step out of this cave into battle there's no turning back. Anyone?_

008 glances around at each of us in turn. 003 glowers back at him. Before things can escalate into an argument the Doctor reappears, looking slightly relieved.

_Good news, _He says. _I managed to contact Dr Harper; he and the others are all fine. They'll meet us at the hangar. Are we all ready?_

Am I ready? No, of course not. Will I go out and make a break for freedom? Without a doubt.

Funny, really, I hadn't actually realised just how stuffy it was in the cave until we stepped back into the fresh air. Now, in a much shorter time than I cold believe, I am here, maybe two hundred metres from the entrance to the hangar, staring dumbly at the building in front of me, lost for words. 005, 003, 001 and Dr Gilmore are all standing just behind me, waiting for the dreaded moment when we strike. The other five are off creating a big enough distraction for us to get in without much of an incident. I glance around at the others beside me. 005 is calm and cool in spite of the situation and he seems to be praying, or something, in his own language. 003 seems to be glancing right into the air in front of her, and, to make things worse, the pupils of her eyes keep changing size; I know it's just her power but it's a little off-putting. 001 is sitting in her arms, his face unreadable. The Doctor looks to be almost as worried as I am, if not more worried. I don't blame him for worrying; he's at the most risk and, ironically enough, we will probably need him the most for this.

I am suddenly torn form my thoughts by the sound of 003's voice. She speaks in short sentences, as if she were desperately trying to remember something and keep an eye on things at the same time.

_I see them. They are ready. _She says, off-hand. _We should prepare…_

That moment, on cue a sudden loud crash shatters the quiet of the evening air. Moments later something explodes and the ground shakes beneath our feet. That is our signal; time to go. Dr Gilmore nods at me and I find the switch on my tooth; the accelerator. I don't think I'll ever get used to this.

Suddenly, in a moment, I forget my nerves and my fears. There is only me, the door, and the guards between me and the door. I'm so fast they don't even see me coming and by the time they even know that something is amiss I have attacked. While time slows back to normal speed for me they fall to the ground like dominoes and I signal the others to join me. Dr Gilmore even looks slightly proud as he jogs over to the door.

_Call me vain if you will, _He says. _But you, my boy, are simply amazing! You're like nothing I've even seen before!_

We both nearly jump out of our skin as 005 breaks the door down with a punch that could probably shatter stone. He then politely opens the door properly and beckons us through.

_Ladies first, 003, _He says. _009, Doctor, we don't have long…_

The very moment I pass through the door into the building, I can already tell that the others are close by. A hailstorm of bullets is erupting just out of sight, the unmistakable smell of burning rubber reaches my nose and an ever-growing amount of crashes and yelling is ensuing within. As the five of us get closer to the chaos I can even make out some of the others' voices. Then, of course, every few moments a sudden spout of fire erupts into the hallway we're in. well, no-one ever said that this'd be easy…

Of course, only seconds before we see him we hear 002 approaching. He runs right towards us, full pelt, poised to strike and only a half second before its too late he looks up to see us.

_Oh, it's you, _He says. _What the hell took you anyway? It ain't exactly a picnic out here y'know! _

With that, we charge. The plan is to keep the coast clear so that Dr Gilmore can get us into the hangar. Then, we have to keep the hangar clear until the other scientists show up and we all get out. Simple…

The robotic drones seem to be attacking in waves on either side. Each time maybe fifteen or twenty of them will show up from the other hallways and then, once they are down there will be a pause for maybe ninety seconds or so. Without even thinking we arrange ourselves into a group, whenever we have a pause. 004 and 006 stay at the back, since their attacks are best suited to long-range. Then, when the machines come within range they attack, leaving it up to the rest of us to finish off the rest. This keeps on, for maybe four or five waves of them. Dr Gilmore swears once or twice and then, as if by some magic, the door swings open. Without even thinking, we all pile in to the hangar, out of breath and hearts racing.

I take a second to glance around at the others. No-one seems to be hurt anything worse than minor scrapes. But, 004 keeps complaining about his arm. I'm not all that surprised though; I mean, the tips of his fingers on his gun hand are beginning to glow red-hot form all the shots he fired. Dr Gilmore glances around, warily until he sees the person in the middle of the hangar. I catch sight of the person at the same time. But I can already make out the people behind him and all around the room. Dr Gilmore must not be able to see. He calls out, with relief in his voice.

_Dr Harper! _Gilmore calls. _I'm so glad to see you! You have no idea what I had to go through just to…_

He stops dead as Dr Harper looks up. Dr Harper's face is a mess of blood, cuts and bruises, his fingers are all broken and the man standing behind him has an automatic rifle pointing at his back. By now we are all on our feet, ready to strike should the slightest chance occur. The man behind Dr Harper speaks, his voice ripe with joy.

_Welcome back Dr Gilmore, _He says. _I was beginning to think that Dr Harper was lying to me. It took me long enough to get __**this**__ information out of him; I really wasn't looking forward to finding out the real truth. But, regardless, you were gullible enough to stick to the plan. Now that you've brought back the cyborgs I might see my way to sparing dear Dr Harper's life…_

_Never mind me Isaac!! _Dr Harper yells. _For the love of the gods, get the hell out of here!_

Dr Gilmore looks up, a spectrum of emotion playing over his face. He is torn, but, time is wearing thin. We have to act. I keep desperately trying to think of a plan, when, suddenly, I hear 003's voice in my head.

**All of you** **listen, **She says, calmly. **In a moment there will be a chance to get the upper hand; I'm going to give you a window of maybe four seconds to get the other Doctor from the middle of the room. Right now there are soldiers hidden in here, just out of sight; they're on all sides but you should have enough time to grab him and get him to the ship in the next hangar. 009, are you ready?**

__**Ready. **I say, half meaning it.

In a flash 003 whips out the pistol from her belt and fires a shot, directly at the man behind Dr Harper. At the very same time I activate my acceleration and head right over to Dr Harper, ready to grab him as soon as the man lets go. All of a sudden I hear 001's voice in my head, almost as a scream.

_**009 stop!! **_He screams. _**You can't accelerate with a normal human! You'll kill him!**_

I stop myself, just three feet short of the two men in front of me. I fall out of acceleration mode, just in time to see the man fall down dead; hit dead centre between his eyes by 003's shot. Dr Harper screams and falls to the floor in shock. All too late I see the dozens of soldiers surrounding the room. I reach out to help Dr Harper but, only a second too late. Before any of us can even yell out a warning he is riddled with bullets.

_Owen! _Dr Gilmore yells as his comrade falls dead to the floor. _For the love of god, Owen!_

All too late I see the predicament we've led ourselves into; the door swings shut behind the others and the trap is set. We're all trapped like rats and we let it happen.

_There is only one way to escape this room alive! _Another voice says, from amidst the soldiers. _You all must surrender at once. These guns have been specially modified to deal with the nine of you; now, this is your last chance, cyborgs. Give yourselves over, now!_

_**009, can you see the main control room from there? **_001 asks.

Yes, I can. But, most of the guards are there…

_**I need you get go up there and get through to the control room; the main hangar door is locked and the only way to get them open is from that room. I'll guide you and the others will make things ready for the escape. We'll meet you in the next hangar in the ship; be quick!**_

You got it. Before I can even find a moment to doubt the new plan I activate the accelerator and leap towards the main control room. I blindly attack all around me, keeping the thought of Dr Harper out of my head. I can feel bullets whizzing only inches short of me and I can hear the cries and screams from my enemies, distorted by the acceleration. There are no words to describe the utter fury that has begun to consume me and with every single soldier that comes close to me the urge to simply kill and keep killing becomes stronger and stronger. Every single reason to harm these soldiers swims through my head until I do not even think about restraint or the struggle to stop being a weapon.

With a mighty crash the bullet-proof glass of the control room shatters from my fist. I leap into the control room; knuckles bloodied and heart beating faster than I could ever have thought possible. There is no-one else in the room, despite the number of guards outside, but, all I can think of is the next enemy. Where will the next one come from? How many will there be?

All of a sudden, there is someone else in the room beside me. He wasn't here a moment ago.

_**It feels good, doesn't it, 009? **_He says, calmly.

I can't even find words to speak with. This, thing, in front of me has to be a cyborg, but yet, he's like nothing I've ever come across before. He wears a black mask to hide his face, but, even so, I can see the blood-lust seeping out from his eyes. The unmistakable stench of death radiates from him and I only needed to hear that one sentence from him to know that he doesn't need his enhancements; he's a born killer. He speaks again, in the same way that 001 would.

_**The thing about you killing all those people, 009, is that I know it felt good; it's part of your design. **_He says, triumphantly. _**It was a new feature for you that the others didn't have. We put a control in for your adrenaline so that if you kept fighting it would kick in. We engineered you to love the fight.**_

All of a sudden I can't move. I'm stuck in this position, with blood on my hands and in an instant the gravity of what I have just done hits me like a kick in the stomach. I feel sick and suddenly the words that had meant so much to before become nothing but trash because of what I have done. I am a monster and while I still live the world will never be safe. The other cyborg laughs dryly to himself and takes out his own pistol from his belt.

_**Even if you are worth millions to my master you are too volatile to be allowed to live, **_He says. _**We have sufficient data to get a new set of test subjects. You are no longer needed.**_

But then, before he can pull the trigger his hand falls limp. Before I can understand what's going on the other cyborg falls to the ground screaming and clutching his head. I hear 001's voice in my head, with a slight note of panic through it.

_**009, I'm sorry you had to go through that, **_001 says. _**Listen, I'm going to need you to relax. I don't have enough time to guide you through this so we'll have to work together on this.**_

Suddenly my arm begins to move on its own. 001, through his telepathy, guides my hands and within thirty seconds and alarm sounds and all the doors in the facility begin to open at once. By now I am completely exhausted and the prospect of fighting my way back down to the others is becoming more and more horrible by the second.

_**009, close your eyes, **_001 says. _**I'm going to get you back to us!**_

I have barely even closed my eyes by the time 001 acts. The air around me begins to rush and I feel like I'm being spun around in all directions at once. But as quickly as the feeling began it stops and before I can even figure out where I am the others are all around me.

_Thank god you're alright, _003 says. _When 001 said we should go without you I feared the worst and… Well done 009..._

I glance up at 001, who is in Dr Gilmore's arms.

_**I'm sorry 009, **_He says. _**But I couldn't let the soldiers know which ship we're in…**_

_He's a clever little thing, really, _006 says. _He got you to automatically launch all the ships at once to throw them off._

I sigh, partially with relief but also from absolute exhaustion. I couldn't honestly care about decoys right now but still, I'm glad to be safe.

_**There's only one thing left for us to do, **_001 says. _**007, are you ready?**_

007 practically swells with pride and walks over to the radio microphone. I watch, with a slight curiosity as he turns on the radio.

_Lady and gentlemen; watch and learn. _He says.

He focuses for a moment and wrings his hands before speaking into the microphone; his voice a perfect copy of the man's voice from the hanger.

_Is there anyone out there? _He says, feigning worry. _This is Sergeant Greene speaking; the island has been overrun by the cyborgs. We've all managed to escape the island and the cyborgs are all trapped in hanger G. By command authority Beta I order you to blast the living daylights out of those treacherous swine!_

There is a moment's pause. The radio crackles and hisses but then another voice replies.

**Roger Sergeant, **The voice says. **Copy command Beta; firing on X island. All clear.**

Thus, as our ship glides away through the water the island we left is blown all to hell. For a while we even feel the vibrations through the water and the sound of it reaches our ears.

_Take __**THAT**__ you lousy bastards! _002 says, triumphantly.

I steal a glance at 003, a tortured look is on her face and she has her hands over her ears. She looks up at me and a small smile crosses her lips.

_Funny, _She says. _I know that this isn't the end; it can't be, but, I can't actually remember the last time I felt so free…_

I smile at the thought. I suppose it has to have been longer for her since she was last out in the world, the poor girl. I look around at the others, who all look to be having similar thoughts. But, a single thought crosses my mind before I let myself give in to exhaustion.

_But, where will we go? _I say.

_Far from here, I can say that much. _004 says.

_We'll have to lie low for a while, _008 says. _At least until we can see if they've sent anyone after us._

_I know a good place that's pretty far from here, _Dr Gilmore says, quietly. _I have a good friend from my days in University, a Mr Daisuke Kosumi, who has a rather large house out in the Japanese countryside. I know he would never say no if I asked him a favour. We can all stay there for a while; until we're all strong enough to go our separate ways._

My heart skips a beat. I don't believe it, I'm going home! But, then what? I have no relatives to stay with, no close friends left out of jail and I really don't think that this Kosumi-san will let me stay with him indefinitely. Kami-sama, taskete, onegai!

The only thing left to do now is move forward, into the future. I have endured hell and worse to get here and this could be the beginning of a whole new life, if I let it be so. This is it, then. A new dawn and a new day.

_**FIN**_

_**TRANSLATIONS**_

_Mon dieu, il n'ya pas d'un espoir pour nous - My god, there's no hope for us. (French)_

_bai chi - idiot (Chinese)_

Mais - But (French)

Mon dieu - my god (French)

_monsieur balle-tête - Mr bullet-head (French, sort of equivalent to her calling him "baldy")_

_Sheisse - shit, (German)_

Fraulein - miss (German)

Kami-sama, taskete, onegai - god, please, help me! (Japanese)

(If I miss any translations let me know; I did this last bit in a bit of a rush.)

_**THANKS, SEE YOU IN THE EPILOGUE!! THE EPILOGUE WILL BE POSTED AS SOON AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE, REALLY!!**_

P.S. I'm aware that I told a certain someone that I'd finish and post this specific chapter within 48 hours of our last msn conversation; SORRY I'M LATE!!

P.P.S By the way, I have this wonderful idea for a 009 fic but not nearly enough time to write it. I only have until September 20th to get as much writing done as I can. If anyone is interested in taking this fic let me know and we'll talk. I'd happy let anyone take it as long as they're willing and a little more punctual than I am!


	16. Chapter 16

**Author note: **Hi to all, once again! This is it, the last part of the second generation fic!! Can you believe it? I certainly can't. I've been at this for ages... So, let me take this chance to thank each and every oneof you wonderful readers for reading this, waiting patiently for my chapters and reviewing! The nice words you gave me are always nice to read! (If you need more 009 action I'm planning to get back to Trick of the Devil now.) Thanks again for reading! You guys are awesome!!

**Epilogue**

**16****th**** August 20XX,**

**Notes in the new diary of Isaac Gilmore.**

Five days, that's all it took. We got out of that hell-hole five days ago and already things are falling in on themselves. I haven't slept more than two hours a night since we got here, my nerves are shot and the only thing I seem to be doing is staring out the window and waiting for an army of soldiers and machines to show up on the horizon. I can't think straight either; I keep thinking that I'm still at the Black Ghost facility and that speaking my mind could lead very promptly to a painful death. I know it's only really mental conditioning and my tired mind finding it hard to cope with the sudden change of circumstances. I mean, I was in that same place for nearly fifty years and I'm certainly not as young as I used to be…

The thing with Kosumi is, he hasn't really changed since University. I mean, externally, he is older, and a little frailer. But, other than that, he is the same: cheerful, friendly, generous and surprisingly quick on the uptake. When we arrived I didn't even need to say anything before he guessed that something was seriously wrong. And, even after the two of us not talking for decades he opened the door to me, and all of the cyborgs. It had to have been about four in the morning; we were all completely exhausted and more than a little bit stressed. I'm sure I wasn't the only one there expecting the entire Black Ghost army to suddenly appear from around a corner, all guns blazing. But, he was nice enough to let us all in and put the kettle on. I was all ready to blurt out everything that had happened but he stopped me and said, firmly but kindly, that it could wait. He said to me that I looked ready to drop.

Now, today, there is a storm coming in from the ocean. The air pressure is growing steadily, bringing on headaches, terrible heat and even worse tempers. It stops me from sleeping at night and brings frightful dreams to me when I do sleep…

Over the past couple of days I have managed to patchily give my part of the story to Kosumi. It isn't the easiest thing to ask him to suspend his disbelief and just bear with me; he's a natural born scientist and is, for lack of a better word, a practical person. At times this can be very helpful since, despite my greatest efforts, I am a very emotional person and can find it hard to think straight when I'm worked up. He helps me think straight. The rest of the time, however, it is quite hard to make him think outside of the box, so to speak. But, at least we got there eventually.

Of course, it's hard for me, but, I can only really imagine how tough things must be for my cyborgs. And, of course it doesn't really help that I keep referring to them as "cyborgs". For the love of god, they're people; but Jesus, I don't even know their names. How am I meant to go up to them and just ask their names, out of the blue? I mean, things are tense enough as it is; they are barely speaking to each other, let alone to me. The air is so tense, no-one speaks but instead everyone seems content in solitude.

Since our arrival I have barely seen any of the others, but, from what I gather, things are not doing so good. 001, since our safe arrival, has been sleeping. I think he over-exerted himself a little too much during our escape so, it could be a while before we hear from him again. But, I couldn't have asked for a better effort from him. 002 seems completely unable to sit still for more than two minutes at a time. One minute he is telling himself that fortifying the house is priority and the next he is swearing on his life that we need to go all out and destroy the black ghost. He yells at everyone that tries to talk to him and refuses to simply be still.

003 has been having a rather terrible migraine ever since we arrived here. Apparently, even being 30 miles away from Tokyo is too close for her; the constant noise from the city coupled with the pressure from the storm is giving her a headache, making her just as irritable as 002. 004 has become tense and sullen, refusing company and simply staring out at the sea for hours on end. He becomes irritated and mixes German in with English when he speaks, making it slightly hard to understand what he's saying.

005 chooses to keep to himself, leaving before dawn to wander around the nearby hills and only returning long after sunset. He remains quiet and pensive when he is around and when pressed he claims that the "voice" of this land is so very different from what he is used to. 006, however, compensates for his unhappiness by obsessively spending the whole day cooking complicated meals, becoming irritated when no-one touches their food and only making it worse when he doesn't eat himself.

007 sits for hours every day at the laptop computer he has borrowed staring at the screen. Days ago he declared that he was going to write about what had happened but since then he hasn't written anything. He opens a document, writes a couple of sentences, stares at the screen for hours and then exits without saving. On the other hand, 008 leaves the house at the same unthinkably early hour as 005 and spends the day doing what he calls "patrolling the perimeter" - looking for any danger that might be around. But, probably, he's just testing his new abilities in the ocean and escaping the tension underwater.

009, like 005 and 008, also leaves the house every morning and returns in the evening; according to what 003 says she's seen him spend the whole day walking around, visiting the same place every day: the burned remains of a building. He sits there silently and then walks back by the ocean. I can only guess what significance the place has.

Now, here, at the end of the day, the tension has built even further. The air is so thick with moisture I can scarcely breathe and any moment now the storm will break over our heads, shattering the calm. With anticipation I sit in the front room, playing chess with Kosumi and staring out at the sea as bruised grey clouds crawl towards us. Somewhere on the other side of the room 003 lies on the sofa, face covered with the book she was trying to read. 002 stands in the doorway, looking moody and expectant. 007 sits at the writing desk, glowering at an empty document as if somehow hoping to make words appear all by themselves.

_You know Isaac, _Kosumi says, calmly. _You should really keep an eye on your own side once in a while. You've let all your enemies close in around you without a struggle…_

I glance down at the chessboard. How could I not have noticed that? I'm only moves away from complete checkmate; all the dark pieces are dangerously near and I am running out of options…

_I'm sorry Daisuke, _I say, still slightly taken aback. _I wasn't concentrating…_

He smiles and laughs to himself.

_Not surprising really, _He replies. _The storm is about to break. It will be fierce but, like all things, it will pass. It will be over just as quickly as it started and afterwards the sun will shine once again. You just wait and see…_

I hope you're right, Daisuke. I just hope we can last through the storm…

003 stands up suddenly, letting her book fall to the floor. She walks over to the window and glances out at the sea.

_Something is coming… _She says.

Just then, the first sounds of thunder sound over the sea. The storm has broken…

_**END!! OMG!!**_


End file.
